Lost and Found
by nibblesfan
Summary: Sequel to Lost Soul...Four years after finding herself back in her own world, Natalie has just about given up hope on ever returning to Erik. That is until she wakes back up in his world and they can finally be together. Or can they? This time, Natalie wasn't the only one transported. What happens when her possessive boyfriend meets Erik?
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, I got enough interest in a sequel for my story Lost Soul so here it is! I know that Lost Soul took place in 2012 and this is supposed to be four years later and all, but hey, it won't kill you to have a little time inaccuracies. But I also ought to warn you that my usual writing style is to figure out the ending then work my way there. And I'm not entirely sure how I want this to end yet so I have no clue where this is going to go XD_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

"See you later girl!" Shelby bubbled.

Natalie hung up the phone with a sigh. Today was supposed to be a happy day. After all, it wasn't your twenty-first birthday every day. Her friends had a massive party planned out for her, and they were promising it would be the time of her life. So why was she so miserable?

She knew the answer to that. In a few weeks, it will have been four years exactly. Four years since Natalie crashed her car. Four years since Natalie woke up in the world of _Phantom of the Opera_. Four years since Natalie fell in love with the famed Opera Ghost, and four years since she arrived back in her own world after being trapped in the opera house fire. Supposedly she had been in a coma the whole time. Even now, she still didn't know if any of it was real or just a dream.

After all, people don't magically transport into a fictional universe set in the year 1881. And Shelby insisted that Natalie had been in the hospital the whole time. But it seemed so real to her. Not to mention she had a picture Erik had drawn of her. She kept it hidden from everyone for fear of being called insane. Natalie had had enough of that living in the Opera Populaire.

A few months after the accident, Natalie had started dating to keep her friends off her back but each relationship was always meaningless to her, every guy only lasting a few months at most. Perhaps maybe she should start seriously looking for someone new.

Pulling out the picture, Natalie wondered what she was going to do. It _had_ been four years now, she couldn't hold on forever. And she had never found a way back to Erik. Maybe, just maybe, it was time to let go. She wadded up the paper into a ball. "I'm sorry Erik," she whispered, tears forming. "But clinging to you is tearing me apart." Natalie tossed the picture into the trash can then ran out the door before she could change her mind.

* * *

An arm wrapped around her shoulder. "Hey babe." It was Craig, her latest boyfriend. Natalie couldn't help but cringe involuntarily. He was getting drunk, which meant he was getting obnoxious and possessive. Not to mention his breath already reeked of alcohol. Craig was _not_ lasting much longer.

"Uh, hi." Natalie untangled herself from him and pulled the beer out of his hand. "You might want to slow down a bit. What's that? Your fourth beer?"

"Fifth," he replied. "And maybe I don't need to slow down. Maybe you ought to speed up. It is your twenty-first birthday. You should be getting hammered." Natalie started to roll her eyes. Like most men, Craig was only after one thing. Which he wasn't getting. But she took a swig. It was a party after all.

Hours later, she found herself laughing hysterically with her friends. Shelby pushed another drink into her hand. "Okay, I'm done!" Natalie announced. "Bad things happen when you have too much!"

"There's no such thing as too much," Craig argued, leaning in and kissing her.

Natalie pushed him away. "You taste like beer." He pulled her into his lap and tried to kiss her again. "That's nasty."

"You know you love it babe," he growled in her ear. His hands started to roam, and Natalie had enough. She shoved herself away and wound up crashing to the floor. Her friends cracked up, and Natalie giggled along, partially because of them, mostly because of the alcohol. Craig pulled her to her feet and pressed his lips to hers once more. This time, she "accidentally" dumped his beer all over him. "Hey!" Craig cried. "Not cool!"

Natalie was done with him. He obviously didn't get that he was repeatedly crossing a line. "Hey Craig can I talk to you? Alone?"

"Sure babe." Natalie cringed. She hated when he called her that and Craig knew it. "I got something I want to tell you too."

"Okay you first."

"No you."

Natalie sighed. She couldn't believe he managed to stick around this long. He was dumber than most of the other guys, and that was saying a lot. "Fine. We'll say it at the same time."

"Awesome. Count of three?"

"Whatever," she said with a wave of her hand.

"One…two…three!"

"Craig, this isn't really working out. I think we should see other people," Natalie said as Craig was saying, "Natalie, I love you. Will you marry me?"

The two stared at each other in disbelief. "Did you just propose?" Natalie asked in shock.

"Did you just break up with me?" Craig demanded.

"Yeah, I kinda did, didn't I?" This was about as awkward as things could possibly get. "Look, you're a great guy and all." Natalie knew she was lying through her teeth but she was trying to let the guy down gently. Besides, she actually had scripted out her breakup speech, seeing as she used it so often. "Any girl would be lucky to have you."

"I don't want any girl!" he protested.

Natalie ignored him and kept right on going. "It's not you, it's me. I'm just not finding any chemistry with you. I'm sorry."

"You're serious? You're really leaving me? I can't believe it! I won't!"

"Craig, I'm sorry." She turned and started to walk out of the bar. So much for the night of her life. Because it was pretty much sucking.

A hand fell on her shoulder. "Let me drive you home," Craig said.

Natalie shook her head. "We've both had a lot to drink. I'll just call a cab."

His grip tightened. "No. Let me drive you home." He marched her to his car and pushed her into the passenger seat. "I insist."

She was honestly scared now. "Craig…"

"Shut up!" he ordered. Natalie fell silent out of fear. She knew he could get very jealous, especially when he was drunk, but she had never seen him like this. "What's his name?" Craig asked, hopping in the driver's seat and taking off.

"What?"

"His name! There's someone else isn't there?"

"Craig…"

"Tell me his name!" he screamed in her face.

"Erik," she whispered.

"Erik who?" Natalie bit her lip and looked away. "Dammit, tell me his last name right now! Or I swear I'll…"

Natalie felt a sudden surge of bravery. "Or what?" she shouted back. "You'll beat me? Rape me? You're already kidnapping me!"

"I am not kidnapping you, we are talking." Craig's tone was getting very eerily calm. "Now what is his last name?"

"It doesn't matter. I haven't seen him since I was seventeen. Forget about him though because I would leave you either way. You are a selfish possessive pig!" Natalie yelled.

A second later, her cheek was stinging from his smack. "How dare you!" he roared. "You stupid…"

"Look out!" Natalie screamed as the car swerved right in front of an oncoming truck.


	2. Chapter 2

"See Natalie? This is why we don't drink." she muttered to herself. "You wake up in strange fields with strange men." She pushed herself off of the ground and stared at Craig, who was still unconscious. "Or worse, him."

Suddenly everything came back to her and not just the drinking. They had fought, and she remembered the truck. But if they crashed, then how was she waking up in a grassy meadow? Unless… No. Natalie refused to consider that. Last time she woke up in _Phantom of the Opera_, she was in the Opera Populaire, not here.

But at the moment, Natalie didn't care where she was. Right now she just wanted to get away from Craig. Leaving him on the ground, she picked a direction and ran. Soon a small house and a stable came into view. Natalie thought about hiding inside the house, but that seemed obvious. That and she didn't want to just bust into some random person's home.

"Natalie?" she heard Craig calling.

"Dammit," she swore under her breath. Natalie ran past the house and into the stable. It was empty, so either this place was abandoned or the owner wasn't home. She didn't care; she just needed a place to hide. Natalie climbed into an empty stall and curled up in the straw.

Just as she thought it was safe, the door opened and someone walked in. Natalie held her breath and hoped whoever it was would leave quickly. The click of hooves on the floor told her that it was probably the homeowner. She peeked over and saw a large black horse. Natalie slipped back down but apparently she had been spotted. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "Who are you and what are you doing in here?"

* * *

Erik nudged his horse Caesar onward. He had to go to town for some supplies and wanted nothing more than to get back home. The trip was always an inconvenience, but lately Erik had been more sulky than usual so he especially did not like this trip.

He couldn't believe it had almost been four years now. Four years since he had lost her. Four years of solitude without her. Erik still couldn't believe it was his fault. She had been killed in the fire at the opera, a fire he had started.

With a sigh, Erik dismounted and led Cesar into the stable. He had been hoping that the ride would clear his head, but he was wrong. Apparently he was just going to have to suffer with the pain and guilt.

Out of the corner of his eye, Erik saw something move. A girl was hiding in a stall. Where had she come from? His nearest neighbor was miles away. He pulled her out of her hiding spot. "Who are you and what are you doing in here?" he demanded. Suddenly he gasped. Maybe it was just wishful thinking but the girl had an uncanny resemblance to her.

She reached up, as if to touch him, but paused. "Erik?" she asked.

"Natalie?" She nodded. Erik was stunned. It couldn't be her could it?

Gently she lifted up his mask, just long enough to get a glimpse of his face. "Oh Erik it's really you!" Natalie threw herself into his arms. "I missed you so much! I thought I'd never see you again!"

Erik held onto her tightly. He was afraid if he let go, he would lose her again. "I…I thought you died. You vanished in the flames and I couldn't find you anywhere. I thought it was my fault."

Natalie laid her head on his chest and began to cry. Erik could feel tears streaming down his own face. "No Erik I didn't die. And it wasn't your fault." She clung to him as though her life depended on it. "Remember how I told you I was from the future? Well, I wound up going back."

Pressing his lips to the top of her head, Erik wondered what he thought. Natalie had always claimed that she was from the future, but he was never entirely sure he believed her. But how else could he explain this? He had watched burning debris fall on top of her, which would have killed anyone, and yet she was here in his arms.

"You still don't believe me do you?"

"I don't know what I believe," he replied honestly. "I'm still trying to figure out if this is a dream or not. If you're really here."

"I'm here. And if I have my way, I'll never leave you again. If you still want me."

"Of course I do," Erik replied. "I love you." He lifted up her face so she was looking at him and kissed her gently. "You don't know how badly I've wanted to do that again."

"Erik, I need to tell you something." Natalie seemed slightly uneasy.

"What is it?"

"I…I wasn't exactly alone this time."

Erik's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Before she could respond, the stable door flew open again. "Natalie?" An auburn haired man walked in. Well, more of a boy really. "There you are! Where have you been?" He paused and stared at Erik suspiciously. "Who the hell are you?"

"I should be asking you the same question," Erik snapped back. "This is my house. You sir are invading private property. Leave now."

"Fine. C'mon Natalie, let's leave this freak alone." Erik looked back at Natalie. Who was this guy?

She shook her head. "No. I'm not leaving."

The boy grabbed Natalie's wrist. "That wasn't an option."

Erik was done with this brat. He grabbed the boy's shirt and threw him against the wall. "You heard her." He tossed him to the ground. "If I see your face around here again, you will regret ever being born."

"Just who do you think you are?"

"I am Erik," he replied simply.

"You're fucking serious?" The boy turned to Natalie. "You whore! You want that… that _thing_ over me?"

When he stepped towards her, Erik didn't think, just swung. The blow sent the boy reeling. Natalie grabbed Erik and pulled him away before he could strike again. "Craig, leave now," she ordered.

The boy paused at the door. "This isn't over."

"Get out!" Erik screamed. The second he disappeared, Erik pulled Natalie to his chest. "Are you alright?" She nodded. "Who was he?"

Natalie took a deep breath. "Erik, I love you, you know that. But four years is a long time."

His eyes widened. "Natalie who is he?" he repeated.

"That was Craig. He was my boyfriend."

"What?" Erik couldn't help but feel utterly betrayed. He had to lean against the wall for support. "Can you tell me he meant absolutely nothing to you?"

She looked him directly in the eyes. "Erik, he meant absolutely nothing to me. I love you and only you with all my heart. I will never love anyone else as long as I live."


	3. Chapter 3

_So the question has come up on who I pictured Erik to be. Originally I saw Gerry, but my Erik is too mellow for him. I suppose my Erik has Gerry's looks, voice, darkness, and seductiveness. However, my other favorite Phantom, Ramin Karimloo has a more gentle personality than Gerard. Ramin also fits that lost soul aspect better than Gerry. Although when Erik loses his temper he takes on Gerard's more agressive personality. Hope that helps you get a better picture of Erik!_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

Natalie glanced around Erik's home. It wasn't necessarily small, but it wasn't a mansion by any stretch of the imagination. There was his bedroom, a small kitchen, the parlor which was really more of a music room because of the piano and Erik's compositions scattered around, and a spare room. Natalie thought it was rather picturesque and cozy.

Erik wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her to a chair. He sat down next to her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You hair isn't blue anymore."

She blushed slightly. "No, it's not. The dye wasn't permanent and after I lost you, it didn't seem right to keep it blue. If I knew I was coming back, I would have re-dyed it just for you. But since I didn't, I guess you're just going to have to get used to blonde."

"I like it," he said softly. "Now will you tell me everything that happened to you?"

"You wouldn't understand," Natalie replied with a shake of her head.

"Let me try."

"Well, as I've told you before, I'm from the future. Four years ago, I got really hurt; I was brought here the first time, when I met you. I guess the fire it sent me back to the future. And just like no one here thought I was from the future, no one from home would believe I really met you so I kept you, kept us, a secret. My friends kept telling me I couldn't stay alone forever so I started meeting guys to keep them happy. But none of them meant anything. Whenever they started to get too serious or wanted too much, I'd move on to the next. Craig was just another. He was nice at first, but as time went on, he got meaner and more possessive and it freaked me out. When I tried to escape him, he lost it. He wouldn't let me go until I told him why, so I told him I loved you. I think he tried to kill us both, which was what brought me back here." As soon as Natalie said it, she realized how much she sounded like Christine in the musical except Natalie was running to the Phantom, not from him.

"He tried to hurt you?" Erik's tone was growing extremely dangerous and it worried Natalie. "If I see him again I swear I will…"

"Erik, forget about him," Natalie begged. "If he hadn't, I probably wouldn't be here right now. All I wanted was to see you again." She rested her head on his shoulder. "What about you? What happened to you?"

"I searched for you for as long as I could. When I couldn't find you, I escaped but I barely made it out. Madame Giry found me and helped me get out of Paris. I bought this house because it was far enough away that word of the Opera Ghost didn't really make it here and it's isolated enough that I could live without being disturbed," Erik replied. "For the most part it's just been me and Caesar. I wondered what happened to you and prayed one day you'd return."

Natalie smiled. "I guess someone listened to you."

"Maybe the Devil's Child does get the occasional wish come true."

"I don't care what the gypsies called you. You aren't the Devil's Child." She pulled off his mask and kissed his cheek. "You're Erik and that's good enough for me."

* * *

Craig practically cheered when he saw the town. He had been walking for hours and was beginning to think there was nothing but grass and fields. Now that he was near civilization again, he could get help and get his girlfriend back from that masked freak.

He ran towards the village triumphantly. He slowed to a jog in surprise. This wasn't your average town. It was set up like one of those old historic settlements with horses and people wearing old-fashioned clothes. _That's weird_, he thought. _But hey, it's a place to start_.

"You're not from around here are you son?" Craig jumped and saw an older man, about fifty or so, adjusting a horse's saddle.

"How could you tell?" he replied sarcastically.

"You look like you've never seen a town before," the man explained. "Unless you're from Paris or another one of those big cities. Not to mention those crazy clothes you've got."

"I'm sorry, did you say Paris?" Craig asked in disbelief. "As in France?"

The man snorted. "'Course I mean France. What country do you think you're in? China?"

Craig shook his head. "Guess I've been wandering a little farther than I thought. Exactly how far are we from Paris?"

"Bout three days ride south, if you follow the Seine River."

"Ride, like on a horse?"

"No, on a chicken! Of course on a horse! Honestly boy, think for a moment!"

"Okay, one more stupid question." Craig paused for a second. "What year is it really?"

"1885," the man replied as if Craig was stupid. "Everyone knows that." Craig gasped. Something wasn't right here. "Boy, are you alright?"

"I think I must have hit my head or something. Something just doesn't seem right," he replied in shock. "I'm horribly lost and I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Tell you what," the man said. "You seem decent. I'm a carpenter here in town and I need some help round the shop. Long as you help out, I can give you a place to stay and feed you. Do we have a deal?"

Craig considered it. It wasn't halfway bad until he could figure out what the hell was going on. He extended his hand. "Deal Mr.…?"

"Jean. Jean Pierre."

"I'm Craig."

The two shook hands. "Nice to meet you Craig," Jean said with a smile. Craig returned the smile for a much different reason. Nothing like insider information to take out that monster.

* * *

Erik smiled at Natalie who was curled up on the sofa and staring at him sleepily. He offered her his hand. "Come. You can sleep in my bed."

She opened her arms up like a child. "Carry me?"

He chuckled, scooped her up, and carried her to his bedroom. He placed her on the bed then kissed her forehead. "Goodnight."

Erik turned to go, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him back. "Where are you going?"

"I can sleep out there."

"But what about the boogeyman?" Natalie asked.

"The what?" Erik asked.

"You know, the monster under the bed. If you're not careful, he gets you. I need you to protect me!"

Erik laughed again. "And what happens if he gets you?"

Natalie thought for a moment. "I don't know. They just say you can't let him get you."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Erik stroked her hair for a moment. "Well I guess we can't have that." She pulled him close and snuggled up next to him. Erik found himself relaxing in her arms. "You know," he whispered in her ear. "If I didn't know better, I'd think this was all a ploy to get me in bed with you."

"Of course it was," she teased before drifting off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Natalie shot up; she was definitely not in her own bed. She calmed down as she remembered the day before. This was Erik's house. They had been reunited. Last night she had slept in his arms. But now he was gone. Where was he? Natalie climbed out of bed. It was time for a ghost hunt.

Luckily for her, the house was small enough that all Natalie had to do was open the door. "Erik?" she called. Immediately he was at her side.

"I thought maybe while you slept, I'd get something for you to eat," Erik explained.

"Good morning to you too," Natalie teased. "I hope you don't mind that I took some clean clothes." She gestured to the black pants and white shirt that she had borrowed. "You really need some color in your wardrobe."

Erik chuckled. "Not going to happen. But we're going to have to get you some clothes of your own. You can't wear mine forever. They don't fit you anyway. I guess we're going into town today." He sighed. "I hate going into town."

"You don't like anything that involves people," Natalie replied with a smile. "Now did you say something about eating? I'm starving."

* * *

Erik instinctively tensed when he saw the village. He wished that after being treated differently his whole life, he wouldn't care that he was being stared at, but even now it still drove him crazy. It was part of the reason he never came here if he didn't have to. Natalie's arms around his waist tightened. "Erik?"

"It's nothing." He slipped off Caesar and helped Natalie down. She stared at him. "Honestly. I just don't..." He sighed with frustration. "You know how people are around me."

Natalie put her hand on his shoulder. "I also know how you are around them. You have got to give a little to take a little." She grabbed his hand. "But since I know you don't like being here, let's just get this over with."

If Erik had been stared at before, it was nothing now that Natalie was with him. But Natalie never fit in anywhere that Erik had seen, and she seemed to take it in stride. Maybe she was right.

Erik led Natalie to the tailor shop. "Go ahead and get whatever you need," he said. "I'll meet you here in a while. I'm going to go pick up some more supplies for us." She smiled at him before disappearing into the shop. Erik watched the door for a moment before turning and walking away.

He wandered through the village, stopping at various shops and purchasing anything that he thought Natalie might need. The store owners treated him with cool indifference but that was nothing out of the usual.

Before returning to Natalie, Erik decided to make one last stop. He walked into the town's one jewelry store. The jeweler grew increasingly uncomfortable as Erik approached the display case. Erik ignored him and glanced across the cabinet before pointing to a small gold band with a single diamond in it. "That one." The jeweler hesitated, so Erik handed the man more than enough money and was rewarded with the ring. Erik nodded his thanks, slipped the ring into his pocket, and exited the store. Now he just needed the right moment.

As Erik fetched Caesar and returned to the tailor's, he could feel a pair of eyes watching his every move. Erik half turned and saw the boy from yesterday staring at him from the carpenter's workshop. Craig, Natalie said his name was. It bugged Erik to know that he was so close to Natalie, but Erik knew he couldn't control everything, no matter how hard he tried. But as long as Craig stayed away from them, Erik decided he could live with the boy being in town.

Just then, Natalie emerged with a large parcel. "Well that was fun!" she said cheerily. Erik raised an eyebrow; he could sense a hint of sarcasm. "What is it with you people and trying to make me wear a dress? I think I spent twenty minutes arguing with her. Needless to say, I won."

"Is that so?" Erik asked with a laugh.

"Yup. I told her where I come from, women wear pants like sensible people."

Erik groaned. "Please tell me you didn't say you were from the future."

"Oh, was I not supposed to?" Natalie laughed at Erik's horrified face. "I'm kidding. I'm not stupid. I just said I was from America."

"I'm telling you here and now, if you get locked up in an asylum, I am not breaking you out," Erik teased.

"You would follow me to the ends of the earth if you had to," she replied with a grin.

"Don't remind me," he joked. Natalie elbowed his side playfully. Erik boosted her up onto Caesar. "C'mon, let's get out of here." As the pair headed back home, a thought struck Erik. "Natalie, if you really are from the future, what happened there when you were here?"

"They told me I had been unconscious for three days after being in an accident."

"Three days?" Erik asked in disbelief. "But you were at the Opera Populaire for months!"

"I know. I'm just telling you how it happened."

"And if you're here now, what's happening there?"

Natalie rested her chin on his shoulder. "I don't know," she replied. "I really don't know."

* * *

Craig looked up from the chair he was helping Jean build. Standing right outside the workshop was the masked man from the day before. He abandoned the project to move closer to the door and watch the man. After a moment, Jean joined him. "Who's that?" Craig asked.

"No one's exactly sure," the carpenter replied. "He's a bit of an odd fellow. Lives alone outside of town. Never really talks to anyone, only comes here to buy food and the necessities."

"Why does he wear that mask?"

"Like I said, no one knows. Probably to hide a deformity or an injury. Why else? It only covers half his face so he's not trying to hide his identity. And that mask is definitely more memorable than a normal person."

"Does anyone even know his name?"

Jean shook his head. "Not that I know of. I certainly don't. But don't you be causing trouble with him. He minds his own business and doesn't cause problems so no one gives him any reason to. Just leave him alone." Suddenly he frowned. "The girl is new though."

Craig looked up and saw Natalie with the man. "Whore," he muttered under his breath.

Jean glanced at him. "What was that?"

Craig waved it off. "Nothing."

* * *

Something wasn't right. Natalie's head felt heavy and she couldn't feel anything below her waist. Everything else was screaming in pain. She forced her eyes open but all she could see was a blinding white light. When she was finally able to blink that away, the white was replaced by red. Natalie made herself look down and saw nothing but blood.

* * *

Erik woke with a start. Looking around, he realized that he must have fallen asleep at the piano while he was composing. He stood and stretched and wondered whether he should just stay out here or crawl into bed with Natalie. Before he made up his mind, there was an ear-piercing scream.

He flew into the bedroom and crashed into Natalie who was trying to run out. She clung to him, her nails digging into his back, and began to sob hysterically into his shirt. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"There was so much blood. It was everywhere," she moaned. "It was mine."

"Shhh," Erik soothed. "It was just a dream. Nothing will ever hurt you. I promise." When she continued to cry, Erik began to sing to calm her.

"_No more talk of darkness  
Forget these wide-eyed fears  
I'm here, nothing can harm you  
My words will warm and calm you_

_Let me be your freedom_  
_Let daylight dry your tears_  
_I'm here, with you, beside you_  
_To guard you and to guide you_"

Natalie rested her head on his chest. "Promise me you'll never leave me."

Erik kissed her forehead. "Even if I have to crawl through hell and back, if you are lost, I will always find you."


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey everyone, it's me. For someone that hates sappy romance, I seem to be writing an awful lot of it. I would apologize but you guys seem to like it. If it gets too much get let me know and I'll try and tone it down a bit. This chapter is a bit shorter than the others but I think you'll forgive me for that. There was just no way I could add anything to this scene. It would ruin this chapter in my opinion. Read and review and thanks for everything!_

_~nibblesfan_

* * *

"Well are you coming?"

Natalie looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

Erik sighed in mock exasperation. "Don't make me regret trying to do something romantic for you."

"What does that mean?"

He rolled his eyes. "It means are you coming or not?"

"Coming where?" Natalie asked.

"Now that would ruin the surprise wouldn't it? And I worked so hard on it," Erik replied with a knowing smile. "Now I'm not going to ask again, are you coming?"

"Well I guess we can't let your hard work go to waste." Natalie stood and gestured to the door. "Go ahead and lead the way."

"Natalie, it's a surprise," Erik said with pretend annoyance. "You have to close your eyes." She obeyed and Erik tied a handkerchief around her eyes.

"You're blindfolding me?" Natalie giggled.

"Of course I am. How else am I supposed to know that you won't peek?" He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her outside. "Don't worry, I've got you," he reminded her reassuringly.

"I know you do." Erik was amazed. No one had ever trusted him so willingly ever. "Can I at least have a hint?" she asked. "Please."

"Very well. Here's your hint: We're almost there."

"Almost where? Erik you aren't telling me anything!"

He laughed. "Of course not. I thought you said you trusted me?"

"I do, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to know where you're taking me," Natalie protested. "So please tell me."

"Relax," he replied. "We're here." Natalie reached up to tug off the blindfold, but Erik caught her wrists and pulled them away from her face gently. "Hang on. I didn't say you could take that off."

She sighed. "Erik what are you…"

"Close your eyes," he ordered.

"Okay they're closed."

Erik untied the blindfold and let it drop to the ground. "You may look now."

Natalie gasped in awe. "Oh Erik," she whispered. "You shouldn't have." She was grinning from ear to ear. "I can't believe you did this all for me!"

Erik couldn't help but smile at her joy. "Natalie, it's a picnic. It really was nothing." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "But I'm glad you like it."

"Is this where you've been hiding all day?"

He smiled mischievously. "Maybe."

"I…I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll eat. There's no way I can eat all this by myself." Erik sat on the blanket and motioned for her to sit next to him.

Natalie curled up beside him. "I think I can do that." She placed her head in his lap. "Erik, no one has ever done anything like this for me before. No one makes me feel the way you do. I love you."

That couldn't have a better cue even if he had scripted it. "Natalie?"

She sat up and looked at him expectantly. "Yes Erik?"

Erik bit his lip. This was much harder than he ever had anticipated. He had spent years terrorizing an opera house, killed people, destroyed the theater, and kidnapped a girl and tried to force her to marry him, all without hesitation. And he was getting cold feet _now_? But it was now or never.

He shifted so he was one knee in front of Natalie. "I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to say it." Reaching into his pocket, Erik pulled out the ring and presented it to Natalie. "I love you with all my heart. I never want to be without you again. Natalie, will you marry me?"

Natalie pressed her hands to her mouth and stared at him in shock. Erik stared at her pleadingly, waiting for an answer. And yet, he was afraid of what it would be. He had spent so much time preparing for this moment, he never even considered what would happen if she rejected him.

Finally after several long heartbeats, Natalie tackled him so his back was in the grass. Before Erik could process what she was doing, she was on top of him, her lips pressed against his. He wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss.

When they finally broke apart, Natalie leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I don't generally wear jewelry but for you, I can definitely make an exception." She kissed him again.

Erik rolled over so that he was now on top of her. "Does that count as a yes?" Natalie didn't speak, just pulled him in for another kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

It was like Natalie was watching one of those crime shows on television. Like the part at the beginning of the show where they describe some horrific accident that later on turns out to be a murder. There were the flashing blue and red lights of several ambulances, police cars, and a fire truck lighting up the night.

A crowd of people was being held back by several cops as rescue workers tried to get into the car. Well, what had once been a car. Anymore it looked just like a mangled piece of metal embedded into the front of a semi. There was something familiar about this place but Natalie couldn't figure out why.

She got closer to the accident, trying to get a better look. No one stopped her, but Natalie had a feeling that she was invisible to them. This was like a dream, and yet it was like she was truly here as well.

All of a sudden, the firefighters managed to cut off part of the door of the driver's side. "They're still alive!" one shouted. Natalie rushed forward and watched them drag a very bloody boy out of the car. Every fiber of Natalie's being screamed for her to run away, but it was like some unseen force was pulling her towards the wreckage.

When she was practically on top of the emergency crew, they pulled out another passenger. One that was in such bad shape that Natalie felt there was no way that person could still be living.

The second she saw the person, excruciating pain filled her body, causing her to cry out. The agony was too much and she collapsed on the ground in fetal position. With tears of pain in her eyes, Natalie watched as paramedics loaded the victims into ambulances. Again Natalie felt the pull towards them, and found herself crawling towards them even though she tried to fight it.

_Natalie!_ A voice in the back of her head called out to her. _Natalie, wake up!_ The voice was familiar to her but she couldn't remember a face or a name. But it was enough to help her stop. _Natalie, please!_ The more she tried to search for the source, the less pain she felt.

_BEEP!_ _BEEP! _Natalie whirled around and saw the second accident victim being hooked up to a heart monitor as well several other machines as paramedics fought to keep the person alive. The hurt slammed back, knocking Natalie to the ground again. She laid there crying, waiting for it all to end.

As she was about to give up, Natalie could hear the voice again only this time it was singing in her mind. She followed the hypnotic sound, letting it lead her wherever it wanted. The song grew stronger and stronger until Natalie remembered who was calling to her. "Erik?" But he was nowhere to be seen. "Erik where are you?" His music wrapped around her thoughts, lulling Natalie into a trance-like state. "Erik?" she called out.

_Natalie, come back to me!_ She followed his voice into a foggy haze. She could hear the squeal of the heart monitor signaling that someone was dying. Then everything went black.

When Natalie could see again, she saw Erik hovering over her, panic in his emerald green eyes. He pulled her into a tight embrace. "Oh thank God," he whispered.

* * *

Erik gathered up the last remains of the picnic. Looking up to the starry night sky, he smiled to himself. He was slightly in shock; he still couldn't believe Natalie had accepted his proposal. They were going to get married! Nothing could ruin this night.

Walking into the kitchen, he began cleaning up. In the next room, Erik could hear Natalie humming happily to herself. As he finished, the humming stopped.

_CRASH!_ "Natalie what was that?" Erik asked. There was no answer. "Natalie?" Walking into the parlor, Erik found her lying unconscious on the floor. "Natalie!" he screamed.

He knelt next to her and cradled her against him. Her heartbeat was racing, her breathing was shallow, and her body was trembling. "Natalie wake up!" he begged. What was happening to her? Was it some kind of seizure?

"Natalie, please!" Erik wouldn't…no _couldn't_ lose her, not again. Not after just getting her back. Natalie moaned then grew very still in his arms. Erik's voice broke as he caressed her cheek, willing her to wake up.

_"Say you'll share with me  
One love, one lifetime  
Lead me, save me from my solitude_

_Say you want me_  
_With you here_  
_Beside you_  
_Anywhere you go_  
_Let me go too"_

She stirred. "Erik?" she murmured. Much to his dismay, she was still unconscious.

Erik rocked her gently. "Natalie, come back to me. Please. _That's all I ask of you._"

Very slowly her eyes opened. Pulling her close, he broke down in relief. "Oh thank God."

"Erik?" Natalie asked weakly then reached up and touched his mask.

"I'm here." He put his hand over hers. "I'm here."

"I think I just died."

"What? No! You fainted." Erik forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. Natalie seemed terrified enough. There was no reason to frighten her more. "You scared the hell out of me. But you're right here. I've got you."

He stood, Natalie still in arms, her head resting on his shoulder. "Erik?" she whispered. "I'm sorry. I ruined tonight. You tried so hard to make it perfect."

Erik carried her to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed. "It's alright. You couldn't prevent that. But you're still here with me. That's all that matters." He pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, making sure she didn't have a fever then checked her pulse. "Well, you seem fine." He frowned. How was it possible that she could go from that to perfectly okay? "How do you feel?"

Natalie pressed a hand to her temple. "I've got a headache like you wouldn't believe and I'm so tired. But other than that, I feel okay. That's never happened to me before. I don't think it'll ever happen again."

"Are you sure?"

"I just need some sleep."

He hesitated. "If you're sure…"

"I'm sure. Stay with me?"

"Of course." Erik wrapped his arms around her, partially because he just wanted to hold her and partially because he was afraid she'd stop breathing.

"Erik, try and get some sleep please. I'll be okay."

He nodded. "I will."

"Liar."


	7. Chapter 7

Weeks flew by. The leaves outside changed color then disappeared altogether and the air grew cold. Per Natalie's request, the wedding wouldn't take place until there was snow on the ground. She said it would be picture perfect. Erik didn't quite get what so amazing about the cold, wet fluff, but if Natalie wanted snow, he would wait for snow.

Erik didn't mind waiting. He couldn't remember ever being happier. Natalie was his life, his whole world. To her annoyance, he was rather protective of her after she had fainted, but when it didn't repeat itself, Erik relaxed a bit.

The pair was in town for a few things and to make some basic wedding preparations. Thanks to her bubbly and stubborn personality, quite a few of the villagers had warmed up to them some, so the couple made the trip more regularly.

"Look Erik!" Natalie squealed. "Look! It's snowing." She held out her hand and examined the flakes. "Ooh, it's good packing snow too. If this keeps up, I bet we could have a snowball fight worthy of the title World War Three!"

"Three?" Erik asked in shock. "When were the first two?"

Natalie smacked her forehead. "Oh, right. Sorry. Forgot they haven't happened yet. The first one was in 1914 and the second was 1939 when Germany wanted to get revenge for losing the first. I think. History isn't my best subject, especially now that it's future-y. Although it might be helpful to know."

Erik wasn't a hundred percent sure how to react. It was moments like this where he honestly thought it was possible that Natalie was from the future. After all, it was awfully detailed for a delusion, and Erik knew even hewasn't that creative.

She didn't let him figure out what to do. Instead, Natalie kissed him. "So are you finally going to let me see my dress now?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"No," Erik replied with a laugh. "If you saw it, it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Just because I asked you to design my wedding dress doesn't mean you can hide it from me," Natalie replied. "How do you know I'll even fit in it?"

"Yes it does and I know it'll fit because I designed it and the seamstress is perfectly capable. Don't you trust me?"

Natalie sighed. "I suppose. But I _really _want to see it."

"Well I guess you're just going to have to wait." Natalie pretended to pout, but Erik just smiled. "But speaking of, I am going to go see how it's coming. I'll meet you back here in a while."

"Fine," she said, pretending to be annoyed. "If you insist." Erik leaned in and kissed her cheek. She swatted him playfully, causing him to laugh again. "I thought you were going!"

He held his hands up defensively. "Alright, alright! I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" He rubbed his arm as if she had hurt him. "Abusive," he muttered, making Natalie chuckle before he walking away.

Erik made his way to the tailor's. "Bonjour Genevieve," he said with a smile as he entered the shop. She was one of the few people he could socialize with on his own. Genevieve thought him a bit odd, but she didn't seem bothered by his mask like most people.

"Bonjour Monsieur," the seamstress greeted him warmly. "You must be here to see the mademoiselle's dress."

"Of course."

Genevieve disappeared into the back then reappeared a moment later, her arms full of white silk. "You know Monsieur, when you insisted that you were going to design this, I had my doubts. But it's turned out absolutely lovely."

He studied the dress. It was indeed gorgeous and it would beautiful on Natalie. "This is impressive. I wasn't sure on whether you could do it or not," Erik admitted. "But you did a wonderful job. "

"Thank you Monsieur."

Erik glanced outside at the snow piling up outside. "Well I'd better go before the weather gets too bad. But I think I'll be back for that very soon."

* * *

Craig turned the corner, cursing the weather. He hated the cold and he hated the snow. Burying his hands in his pockets, he continued back towards Jean's workshop. He froze when he saw a familiar blonde in front of him.

Natalie whirled around when he grabbed her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Craig? What are you doing?"

"Let's talk."

She pulled away from him. "No. Leave me alone."

He grabbed her wrist and began to drag her out of the open. "No, I think we should. Come on. It'll be good for us."

"Craig let go of me!" Natalie tried to twist away, but couldn't break his grip. "Please. Craig you're hurting me."

"Craig?" He released Natalie as he heard Jean's voice. He turned and saw the carpenter standing behind him. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Craig replied. "We were just talking. Natalie and I are old friends. Weren't we just talking?"

Natalie backed away then glanced between Craig and Jean. "I've, uh, got to go. Bye." Craig watched her run into the arms of the masked man who had just appeared. The two seemed to argue for a moment before Natalie pulled him away.

"What the hell were you doing?" Jean demanded.

"Nothing," he snapped back stubbornly.

"I'm not going to tell you again. Don't be causing trouble around here. Stay away from her. Understand?"

"I understand," Craig mumbled.

* * *

Natalie ran away from Craig and saw Erik approaching her from the tailor's. She flew into his embrace. "What happened?" Erik asked. "Did he hurt you?"

"No he didn't hurt me."

Erik grabbed her hand and lifted it up and examined the bruises that were beginning to form on her wrist with an expression of rage. "He didn't hurt you?" he repeated quietly. "Didn't hurt you my ass!"

"I'll be fine," she argued. "It's nothing." When Erik looked like he was going to attack, she grabbed him and pushed him around the corner. "Craig was just being a dick. Please just let it go."

He was going to argue, but then they both heard a voice that neither thought they would hear again. "It can't be," Erik whispered.


	8. Chapter 8

_Splat!_ He cried out as something cold and wet hit the back of his neck. Spinning around to find his attacker, his face was just hit with another snowball. "Raoul de Chagny," a familiar voice rang out. "I've given you four years to improve and you still are no good in a snowball fight."

"Natalie?" Raoul asked as he wiped the snow from his face. "Is that really you?" His eyes widened. "Oh my God, it is you!"

She held her hands out in a gesture of surrender. "Guilty as charged. It's good to see you." She hugged him then the brunette woman next to him. "You too Christine. What the hell are you two doing out here?"

Christine's hands went to her stomach. "Raoul has an old childhood home of his just outside of town, and we thought the fresh country air would be good for the baby."

Natalie just seemed to notice Christine's swelling stomach. "Oh congratulations!" she squealed. "I can't believe it! Do you have other kids?"

Raoul shook his head. "Unfortunately not. We were starting to lose hope, so we were ecstatic when we found out. That's part of the reason we came out here. What about you? What has our crazy friend been up to all this time?"

"Well actually…" Natalie's voice trailed off as she saw him tense. "What?" She turned to see what was making him so uncomfortable. "Oh, it's okay."

He wasn't quite sure how to react when he was told that it was okay that the Phantom of the Opera was approaching them from the shadows. After all, the man had kidnapped his fiancée and tried to kill him. So it was a shock to Raoul when the Phantom stopped just behind Natalie and wrapped his arm protectively around her waist. "So are you two…?"

She flashed a gold ring on her finger. "Engaged at the moment." Raoul stared at her puzzled. It had been four years now. Obviously she registered his confusion. "Your time traveling friend from the future time traveled back to the future and I only just returned here a while ago."

Christine laughed. "Right. So when's the wedding?" She was definitely more at ease with the whole situation than Raoul was.

"Soon," the Opera Ghost replied simply.

"Erik and I haven't really settled on a date yet, but he's right. But we do want it as soon as possible," Natalie quickly clarified. "And you're both invited of course."

"_What?_" both men asked at the same time. Natalie elbowed the Phantom's side just as Christine stepped on Raoul's foot.

"It would be an honor to have you," Erik muttered.

"We'd love to go," Christine replied warmly. "Right Raoul?"

"Of course," he mumbled.

The two girls laughed. "Men," Natalie said with a roll of her eyes.

* * *

"You're mad at me aren't you?" Natalie asked later that night.

Erik glanced up at her. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I asked Christine and Raoul to our wedding. I didn't really quite think that through when I did that. But I know things are…" she paused, looking for the right word. "Tense between you and Raoul."

"Well they are your friends so I don't have the right to tell you they can't come," Erik said carefully. "But things will be awkward to say the least."

"Christine will make sure he behaves, and you will have to face my fury if you try anything funny."

"Because you're absolutely terrifying," he teased, kissing her gently.

"You do not want to have to face my wrath," Natalie shot back.

"Mmhmm, I'll keep that in mind."

Natalie curled up in his lap and pressed her lips to his, kissing him passionately. Erik was all too willing to give in. He pulled her closer and tangled his hand in her long blonde hair. After a few moments, he realized what he was doing and broke their embrace. "Natalie," he whispered. Erik knew that if this continued, he wouldn't be able to control himself. She ignored him and tried to kiss him again. "Natalie, stop," he said, pushing her away.

"Damn you," she replied with a sigh. "Damn you and your propriety."

Natalie leaned in once more, but Erik stood and rested his forehead against the wall. "I'm serious. I can't…I _won't _be able to stop myself."

After a moment, he could feel her hand on his shoulder. "Erik, I love you. There's no one else I'd rather spend my life with."

"Natalie…"

"Don't 'Natalie' me. I know what I'm saying." She wrapped her arms around him. "And I'm saying please." This time when she kissed him, Erik didn't pull away.

* * *

"Christine I can't do this!"

"What do you mean?"

Natalie paced back and forth. The two were in a back room of the church, waiting for the wedding to start. "I'm freaking out. I don't know if I can do this."

"What's wrong?"

She sighed heavily. "You know how every little girl wants to meet the perfect guy and get married and have a family?"

Christine nodded. "Yes."

"Well I never did. I wanted travel, run for president, become a millionaire, rule the world. But I never ever wanted to get married." Natalie ran her hands through her hair. "But then I met Erik. I've never met anyone like him before. I love him with all my heart."

"Natalie look, every relationship has its ups and its downs but it's worth it in the end. I've seen the way Erik looks at you, and honestly, I wish Raoul looked at me like that. You two were made for each other."

"I know, but I'm just afraid of what I'll wind up saying once I get up to the altar, if I can even get that far."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. But I'm not sure I can go through with this. But if I don't, it'll break his heart and I can't do that to him." Tears formed in her eyes. "Oh God, I don't know."

* * *

Erik had always heard that it was bad luck for a groom to see his bride right before their wedding, but that didn't stop him. He needed to see Natalie, just for a moment. Just as he reached the room where Natalie and Christine were waiting, he heard their voices._ I never ever wanted to get married._

He felt like he had been hit. But he had jumped to conclusions with her before. After all, there was a time where he had thought she was in love with Raoul. Erik pressed his ear to the door again._ I'm not sure I can go through with this._

Before Erik could decide what to do, the Vicomte rounded the corner. "Hey, um, the priest was looking for you. Ready to go?"

Erik followed him in silence to his place beside the altar, wondering what was going to happen. Natalie hadn't said she wasn't going to marry him. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe he only heard part of the conversation. Maybe this was all in his head.

A few moments passed before the door to the church opened. It would either confirm or displace his fear. Erik held his breath as he got his answer.


	9. Chapter 9

Erik held his breath as the door to the church opened. Would Natalie really back out now? After all, she had talked about nothing but this day for weeks. Perhaps she was just nervous; this _was _a huge step for both of them. Forcing his panic under control, Erik looked up to see if she was standing there or if she had fled.

He nearly laughed in relief when he saw Natalie coming down towards him. She was absolutely stunning in her white dress. It was fairly simple, with minimal lace and embroidery, but it fit Natalie perfectly. Christine had managed to get Natalie's blonde hair to fall in soft waves down her shoulders. In other words, Erik was breathless as he took in her beauty.

As she approached him, Natalie grabbed his hand and held on tightly. Erik tried to comfort her with a smile. She glanced up at him for a moment then down to her feet. He wanted nothing more than to hold her and tell her she could do this. But he forced himself to stay put. This was Natalie's choice. If she changed her mind, there was nothing he could do but let her go.

* * *

Natalie could see Erik waiting for her. Taking a deep breath, she forced her feet to move forward until she was right next to him. Afraid she was going to run away, she took his hand to keep herself in one place. Looking up into Erik's green eyes, Natalie saw fear in them as well. He was just as scared as she was. But if he was scared and she was scared, who was supposed to be the strong reassuring one?

"Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

How had they gotten to this point already? She opened her mouth to answer, but it got stuck in her throat. Natalie looked at Erik who smiled softly at her. He squeezed her hand then let his go limp. When she saw the tears in his eyes, she realized what he was doing. Erik was offering her a chance to walk away.

Her mind was made up with this simple gesture. Gripping Erik's hand even tighter, she turned to the priest and gave him her response loud and clear. "I do."

Looking back into Erik's eyes, Natalie saw them fill with relief and she realized that he was afraid she would leave him. She had forgotten he had remarkable intuition and was probably picking up everything she had been feeling.

Oblivious to the silent exchange that was going on before him, the priest kept right on going. "And do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

Erik brushed his fingers against her cheek. "I do," he answered in his strong voice.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife." The priest turned to Erik and nodded his head. "You may kiss the bride." The second the words had escaped his lips, Erik wrapped his arm around Natalie's waist and pulled her into passionate kiss.

* * *

Natalie giggled as Erik carried her into the house. "I can't believe it!" she squealed. "I can't believe we actually got married!" She placed her hands on his chest and nuzzled his neck.

"You were beautiful. When I saw you walk in in that dress, I wondered what I had done to deserve such an angel. Maybe there is a God after all."

"And you were so handsome," Natalie replied. "Every other man on earth should be jealous of you."

Erik's face fell suddenly. "You don't have to lie to me," he whispered.

She grabbed his mask and let it fall to the ground, before kissing the marred side of his face repeatedly. "I didn't," Natalie replied in-between kisses. When he didn't respond, Natalie snuggled up as close as she could to him.

"_Would you dance  
If I asked you to dance?  
Would you run  
And never look back?  
Would you cry  
If you saw me crying?  
And would you save my soul, tonight?_

_Would you tremble_  
_If I touched your lips?_  
_Would you laugh?_  
_Oh please tell me this_  
_Now would you die_  
_For the one you loved?_  
_Hold me in your arms, tonight_

_I can be your hero, baby_  
_I can kiss away the pain_  
_I would stand by you forever_  
_You can take my breath away_

_Would you swear_  
_That you'll always be mine?_  
_Or would you lie?_  
_Would you run and hide?_  
_Am I in too deep?_  
_Have I lost my mind?_  
_I don't care_  
_You're here tonight._

_I can be your hero, baby_  
_I can kiss away the pain_  
_I would stand by you forever_  
_You can take my breath away_

_Oh, I just want to hold you_  
_I just want to hold you_  
_Am I in too deep?_  
_Have I lost my mind?_  
_I don't care_  
_You're here tonight_

_I can be your hero, baby_  
_I can kiss away the pain_  
_I will stand by your forever_  
_You can take my breath away_

_I can be your hero_  
_I can kiss away the pain_  
_And I will stand by you forever_  
_You can take my breath away_  
_You can take my breath away"_

"I love you," Erik whispered.

"Not as much as I love you," Natalie responded. A moment passed before she spoke again. "I don't know how people do it."

"Do what?" he asked in confusion.

"Well where I come from, after a wedding, the bride and groom throw a massive reception with food and dancing. You know, bride and groom have their special dance first, and it goes on half the night. I know it's like a tradition, but I don't think I could that even if we had one planned out. I'm worn out from just the wedding."

"Natalie…"

"Erik, don't worry about it. It's nothing. I don't mind it just being us. I really don't."

He set her down with a smile. "You just said that the bride and groom have a special dance. I can do that much for you." Erik bowed deeply to her. "May I have this dance?"

She smiled before accepting his outstretched hand. "I would be honored."

Natalie wrapped her arms around his neck, but Erik just stood there. "Natalie…"

"Yes Erik?"

Blushing slightly, Erik looked at her sheepishly. "I've never danced with anyone before."

"Oh. Well it's easy. Anyone can do it," Natalie assured him. "Just put your hands here." She guided his hands to her waist. "Then you just sway to the music. It's not really true dancing, but it's what most people do at weddings."

"I guess all we need now is music."

She kissed him. "I think I can handle that too."

"_I guess the time was right for us to say  
We'd take our time and live our lives together day by day  
We'll make a wish and send it on a prayer  
We know our dreams can all come true with love that we can share_

_With you I never wonder - will you be there for me_  
_With you I never wonder - you're the right one for me_

_I finally found the love of a lifetime_  
_A love to last my whole life through_  
_I finally found the love of a lifetime_  
_Forever in my heart, I finally found the love of a lifetime_

_With every kiss our love is like brand-new_  
_And every star up in the sky was made for me and you_  
_Still we both know that the road is long_  
_But we know that we will be together because our love is strong_

_I finally found the love of a lifetime_  
_A love to last my whole life through_  
_I finally found the love of a lifetime_  
_Forever in my heart, I finally found the love of a lifetime" _

* * *

_C'mon now, did you guys think that Natalie really would back out? I mean seriously? Anyway, don't think it's done yet cause we're nowhere near to that yet. XD_

_~nibblesfan_


	10. Chapter 10

"I think we're doing something wrong," Natalie said one day.

Erik looked up at her from the piano with a worried expression. "What is it? What's the matter?"

"Oh, it's nothing," she replied, trying to keep a straight face. Erik was trying so hard to be the perfect husband that he stressed over the smallest things. It was something that Natalie found both extremely annoying and endearing. "I've just noticed the wedding was a couple of months ago and we still like each other."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Natalie laughed. "Of course it is silly. That was a joke." She put her arm around his shoulders. "You need to relax some. You take things way to seriously."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You're just being you. I'm just giving you a hard time. Honestly Erik, you spoil me rotten already. You treat me like a queen and ask for absolutely nothing in return. Next thing you know, you'll start calling me _Your Highness_."

Erik bowed. "Nothing but the best for you, Your Highness," he teased.

"Don't call me that." She tickled his ribcage, making Erik laugh. "Oh, the terrifying Phantom of the Opera is ticklish?" A wicked grin spread across her face.

His eyes widened. "Uh oh."

The next thing either of them knew, they were rolling across the floor, tickling each other, shrieking with laughter. Natalie squealed when Erik went for her side. "Uncle!" she cried. "I give up! Have mercy!"

"Alright, on one condition," he replied, pinning her down.

"What's that?" Erik pulled her in for a heated kiss, which Natalie returned eagerly. "Alright now I _know_ we're doing something wrong," she said when they broke apart. "My parents hated each other."

He stared at her with interest. "You've never mentioned your family before."

"Neither have you."

Erik sighed. "My mother abandoned me to the gypsies when I was a small child because she didn't want the responsibility of raising a monster. That doesn't count as family."

"My father was married to his job. We never saw him, and if we did, he was always on the phone or computer working. Mom pretty much raised me on my own, and when I was fourteen, she told Dad that he either needed to take care of his wife and daughter or she would leave because she was tired of being a single parent. That night, Mom walked out the door and I never saw her again. And since my father never changed, I had to learn to take care of myself."

"Do you hate your parents?" he asked softly.

"Do you hate yours?"

"Yes…no…I don't really know anymore." Erik exhaled slowly. "I'm to the point where I just want to forget all of that. My mother made her choice and there was no way I could have stopped her."

"There was a long time where I thought I hated Mom for leaving, and I thought I hated Dad for letting her go. But really, I blamed myself. I thought maybe if I had been a better child, then it wouldn't have happened. I thought I had done something wrong to bring this down on my family. Eventually I realized that it would have happened eventually with or without me. So I made some wacky friends and did what I pleased and got over it."

The couple laid on the floor in silence, wrapped in each other's arms for a long while before Natalie worked up the courage to ask, "Erik, have you ever thought about having a family?"

"You mean like kids?" She nodded. "Do you want a family?"

"Erik, that's not what I asked."

Propping himself up on one elbow so that he was looking into her eyes, Erik thought long and hard before answering. "Some, but not seriously."

"Maybe we should."

"Let me get this straight. We just talk about how horrible our parents were, and you ask if I want kids?" he asked in disbelief.

"I didn't say that. I asked if you had thought about it," Natalie corrected. "Besides, we could learn from our pasts, you know, what _not_ to do. We could be better parents."

"Natalie, are you trying to tell me something?"

She shook her head. "It was just a thought."

* * *

A little over a week later, Natalie closed her eyes as her stomach clenched. It was the third day in a row that she was feeling nauseous, and today was definitely the worst day so far. She was trying hard to hide her discomfort, but her intuitive husband knew something was up. Erik was playing the piano as usual, but he kept glancing at her as if waiting for some disaster.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked for the thousandth time that morning.

"I feel fine," she lied.

"Well you don't look fine."

Natalie sighed in exasperation. "It's nothing. I'm just a bit queasy. It'll pass in a bit."

"Are you sure?"

"Erik, please!" she snapped. He immediately turned back to playing, but Natalie could see the hurt on his face. She felt horrible instantly, but an overbearing, protective husband was the last thing she wanted at the moment. "Erik, I'm sorry. It's just…" Suddenly the room began to spin, forcing Natalie to place her hand on the wall for support. "It's just…"

"Natalie?" She heard a crash as Erik knocked over the piano bench in his rush to get across the room to her. As soon as he reached her, Natalie's knees buckled, and she slumped forward into his arms.

A few moments later, the room quit spinning, and she realized that Erik had carried her over to the sofa. "You are _not_ fine," he barked as he laid her down.

"I am perfectly okay," she replied, trying to get back up, but Erik pushed her back down.

"No, you aren't."

"It was just a moment of dizziness. It happens."

"There's something you're not telling me," he accused with a flash of anger in his eyes. Natalie took his hand in both of hers and pulled him closer so he was sitting on the edge of the sofa. Instantly the fury vanished and was replaced by fear and concern. "Natalie, what is it? You can tell me anything."

"Erik…Erik, I'm pregnant."


	11. Chapter 11

"_WHAT?"_

"I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby. Erik, you're going to be a father." Natalie waited for some sort of reaction, but didn't get one other than shocked silence. "Say something," she begged. "Say anything!"

He raked his fingers through his hair. "How… How long have you known?"

"I've only been absolutely sure a few days. But I've suspected it for a while now."

"When were you going to tell me?" he demanded.

"Erik I promise I was going to tell you soon. I was still trying to process everything myself. Not to mention, I was trying to come up with the best way to tell you. I know it's a lot to take in, but it was bound to happen sooner or later, and it just happened to be sooner rather than later."

He buried his face in his hands. "Oh God. I can't believe this is happening."

Natalie put her hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. No matter how it seems now, it'll get better. Maybe this baby is what we need. This is a blessing."

Erik shook her off roughly. "Maybe for you," he shouted. "I never wanted any of this!" Realizing what he had just said, Erik reached for her, but she shoved him away. He flinched as her hand made contact with his cheek with a sharp _smack_. Tears filling her eyes, Natalie turned and ran out the door.

* * *

"Natalie?" Erik called. "Natalie where are you?" He was tearing across the property, searching frantically for her. "Natalie I'm sorry! Please! I didn't mean what I said!" There was no sign of her anywhere, but he still had one place left to look.

He was almost afraid to look in the stable. It was highly possible that she had taken Caesar and left, but it was a possibility Erik didn't want to face. Gently pushing the door open, he looked inside cautiously. "Natalie?"

The black horse just looked at him and nickered softly. Erik sighed in partial relief, she couldn't be far. But if Caesar was here, where was Natalie? She couldn't have gotten far without the horse.

Caesar stared at him with his big brown eyes, as if to say _Way to go genius_. Erik patted the animal's neck. "Yeah, I know," he murmured. "I screwed up." He paused when he noticed that Caesar's fur was wet, as if with tears. Turning, Erik saw Natalie curled up in a ball on the floor, her face pressed against her knees. Her whole body shuddered as she sobbed.

Sitting next to her, he gently placed his hand on her back. "Natalie?" She whimpered but didn't move away. Carefully, so he wouldn't upset her more, Erik pulled her into his arms so that her head was resting on his shoulder. "Natalie I am so, so, incredibly sorry. I didn't mean it. If I could change it, I would in a heartbeat." She ignored him and continued to cry. "Please. You've got to understand. If there was even a possibility of passing on my face, I didn't want to risk it. It wouldn't be fair to punish an innocent child. And now that there's that chance…If I ruin our baby's life by giving it my face, I don't think I could live with myself."

Natalie stood and ran her hand along Caesar's back. Erik got up and tried to touch her cheek but she turned away. "Erik I'm leaving."

"Please Natalie!" He fell to his knees, ready to beg. "I'm sorry."

"Don't do this." She brought him to his feet. "Please. We both just need some time to think about all this. I swear I'll come back."

"Promise me!" he pleaded.

She brushed her fingertips against the fading red mark on his face. "I promise. I'll be back before dark."

Erik felt helpless as he watched her climb onto Caesar and ride out. When she disappeared from view, he bent his head and tried not to cry. "What have I done?" he moaned.

* * *

Natalie wiped her tears away as she reached town. She wasn't sure what she was going to do at the moment. This was one of her problems, she didn't think things through. But she needed time away from Erik, and he obviously needed to absorb the situation.

She considered going to Raoul and Christine, but Natalie had no clue where to find them. They all had met in town a handful of times, but she wasn't exactly sure where they lived, and they didn't know where she and Erik lived. Raoul and Erik seemed to like it better that way.

Suddenly she felt a pair of eyes watching her every move. Natalie turned and saw Craig staring at her. Her first instinct was to hop on Caesar and run for home, but she didn't need Erik to protect her. Not from him. She shot him a glare, warning him to keep his distance. For a moment, Craig looked like he was going to come up to her, but a man with silver shooting through his dark hair came up and hauled Craig inside.

"Mademoiselle?" A man Natalie didn't recognize was trying to get her attention. He looked like some sort of servant, but she couldn't be sure. "Mademoiselle Natalie?"

"How do you know my name?" she asked cautiously.

"The Vicomte de Chagny sent me to find you."

"Raoul? Why?"

"Madame de Chagny is in labor. She wanted you to come."

"The baby's coming?" Natalie leaped onto Caesar. "Lead the way."

After riding a few miles away from town, a mansion came into view. Natalie could see Raoul waiting for her, and the second he saw her, the Vicomte came running towards her. "Natalie, thank God you're here!"

"How's Christine? Is she alright? What about the baby?"

"Christine…upstairs…baby…doctor…"

Natalie grabbed his shoulders and spoke to him like a two year old. "Raoul, you're a big boy. Use your words."

He shook his head. "Sorry, this wait is killing me. Christine, she's upstairs with the doctor. She's been up there a few hours. I don't know much more than that. They told me to wait out here because I'd just get in the way." Raoul looked at her strangely, as if noticing her for the first time. "Natalie have you been crying?"

"No," she lied.

"Yes you have. Your eyes are all red."

"It's nothing."

"Well if you've been crying that much, it can't be nothing. And if it's not nothing, then it must be something." He put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "What's that something?"

"Let's just say, in a few months, Erik ought to be doing the same thing you are right now. And he didn't take it very well."

"You're pregnant?" Natalie nodded. "What did he do?"

She could feel the tears rushing back. "He told me he didn't want the baby," she whispered before breaking down again. Raoul knew there were no words to comfort her, so he held her and let her cry. "The stupid thing is I should have expected it. But I didn't. I thought he'd be happy. But he wasn't."

"Monsieur le Vicomte?" They both looked up and saw a servant standing there, looking slightly uncomfortable at interrupting. "Madame de Chagny is asking for you."

Raoul grabbed Natalie's hand and pulled her inside. "She's in here," he said, pointing to a doorway. "C'mon."

"No, it's your baby. You go in. I'll just wait out here."

"For Pete's sake, come on!"

He pushed her through the doorway. "Hi Natalie," Christine said softly. She held a small bundle in her arms. Raoul knelt next to his wife and beamed as he took the baby in his arms. "Say hello to your son Gustav."

"Hello Gustav. How are you Christine?" he asked.

"I'm tired, but I'm fine." The family reminded Natalie of a picture on a Christmas card. It was absolutely perfect, and it made Natalie wish Erik was more accepting of her own pregnancy. Christine laid her head on Raoul's shoulder then frowned. "Raoul, why are you so wet?"

"Sorry," Natalie said sheepishly. "I borrowed him. He's good for crying." Christine opened her mouth, but was cut off. "Don't ask. It's a long story." She paused. "Actually it's really not, but if I told you, I'd start crying again, and I don't want to ruin your happy moment."

"Natalie, whatever he did, you know you can stay here if you want," Christine said.

She shook her head. "I can't. You know him. He'd hunt me down and find me here. I don't want him to get mad at you guys." Glancing out the window, Natalie saw the sun disappear over the horizon. "Oh shit, I've got to go."

Raoul stared at her in shock. "He told you he didn't want your baby and you're still going back to him?"

"He what?" Christine shrieked, causing the baby to fuss. "You're pregnant? And you didn't think that was worth mentioning?"

"I have to go back. I promised him."

"To hell with him!" Raoul snapped. "Natalie you don't have to."

"Yes, I do. Please try to understand."

"At the very least, promise me if things get any worse between you two that you'll come straight here no matter what," Raoul ordered.

"I will." Natalie hugged both her friends. "Congratulations." She ran out the door and found her horse and began to head back home.

* * *

Erik paced frantically. The sun had set nearly an hour ago, and there was no sign of Natalie. Where was she? Had she lied to him? Did she leave him? Was she in danger? Hurt? Lost? He never should have let her leave.

His head shot up as he heard the sound of hoof beats. It was music to his ears as Caesar came into view. He pulled Natalie off the horse's back and held her tightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Please believe me. I just got scared. I've never been a father before. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. And if I ruin our baby's life because I'm the father…"

"Erik, you think I know how to be a mom? No one knows what they're doing when they become parents. You just have to figure out as you go. I'm going to love our child no matter what. And if anyone tries to hurt our baby, they're going to have to go through me." She gave him a watery smile. "I've got one hell of a Mama Bear inside of me. Plus once I'm done with them, they'd have to go through you."


	12. Chapter 12

Pregnancy sucked. Natalie felt sick all the time and got dizzy easily. And half the time she was pretty sure Erik was more hormonal than she was. He tried so hard to make up for what he had said, but she could still tell he was very unsure about wanting to be father. In a way, it was sweet, but sometimes it was just too much. He was driving Natalie out of her mind. So sometimes she felt like returning the favor.

"Natalie!" Erik stormed into the kitchen one morning, obviously very cranky. "Where is it?"

"Where's what darling?" she asked innocently. Natalie knew full well she was pushing his buttons. She never called him darling, so now he would have zero doubts that she was up to something.

"Don't 'where's what darling?' me! Where is it?"

"Erik I can't help you find whatever it is you're looking for unless you tell me what it is that you're looking for," Natalie responded calmly.

"Where the hell is my mask?"

"Oh, that. Why didn't you just say so?" She kissed the deformed side of his face, trying to soften his anger before she told him what she had done. "I hid it. Your wig too."

"Really? I had no idea," he replied sarcastically. "Where did you put it?"

"If I told you, there would have been no point in hiding it."

He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. They had learned the hard way that all the hormones from the baby made Natalie upset extremely easily. "And why exactly would you do that?" Erik asked, forcing his voice to stay even.

"Because I don't want you hiding from my baby."

Erik raised an eyebrow. "So now it's _your_ baby? What happened to it being _our _baby?"

"_You _said you didn't want it," she shot back. Erik's eyes filled with hurt; until now, they had avoided talking about 'that night'. "Oh Erik, I'm sorry. That wasn't fair for me to say that. You're right. It is our baby, which means we've got to start acting like it's our baby. We've got to quit fighting so much."

He nodded. "So would you like to tell me where you put my mask now?"

"I wasn't kidding. I don't want you to hide your face from your own child. Think of this as practice getting used to going without a mask. I was going to get rid of it completely, but then I realized it wasn't my place to tell you that you couldn't have it in town around other people. But as long as it's just us and the baby here, I don't want you wearing it."

"Natalie, all of humanity is revolted by my face. What's to make our baby any different?"

"One: thank you for saying I wasn't human. Two: our baby is going to be different because it'll be our baby. It won't know any better. Our baby will just see you as a loving father and by the time it's old enough to understand that you aren't like other people, it'll be so used to you that it won't matter." She sighed. "I wish we could stop saying 'it'. I'd give the world to know if we were having a boy or a girl just so we could call our baby he or she."

Erik wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. "What do you think our baby is?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter what I think," she replied. "If I guessed, I'd be wrong because that's just my luck. What do you say? Are we going to have a boy or a girl?"

His hand moved up so that it was resting on her stomach. "It doesn't matter to me. I don't think we can go wrong either way."

"Does this mean you want the baby now?"

After kissing her again, Erik nodded. "I'm willing to learn how to be a father."

Natalie looked at him sternly. "No more fighting. Understand? That goes for both of us. Stress is not good for a baby or for parents."

"No more fighting."

* * *

"What the hell do you mean I can't go?" Natalie shouted.

"Please Natalie, I'm just trying to protect you," Erik pleaded.

"Protect me from what? The whole town knows we're together. Sooner or later they're going to know I'm pregnant. After all, children just don't appear from nowhere!"

"I don't trust that boy." He didn't need to say who. They both knew exactly who he was talking about. "He's tried to hurt you before; I don't want anything happen to you. Or the baby."

"Look, if it'd make you feel better, I swear I'll stay with you the whole time. I won't leave your side. Craig's a coward. If you're there, he won't come near me. Near us. And even if he did, he's nowhere near a match for you."

"Natalie I don't want to risk losing you. Not again."

"So your solution is to keep me locked up here?"

"No!" he insisted. "I'm just trying to take care of you."

"Do you know how hard this is for me? Erik I'm not like you! I was used to a life of people. Going from that, to only seeing one other person ninety-five percent of the time, it's driving me mad! The only reason I haven't complained is because I love you. But if you tell me I can't leave here…" Her voice trailed off. Natalie ran into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Erik chased after her, but Natalie had locked the door. Rattling the doorknob, he called to her. "Natalie, I don't want to fight! Just try to understand!"

"Go away!" Erik slumped up against the door. He honestly was just trying to look out for her. But he knew it wasn't entirely her fault. Natalie had warned him that she was going to be extra sensitive, but he had no idea it was going to be this extreme. It was going to be a long time till the baby was born. Pregnancy sucked.

* * *

Natalie threw herself on the bed and buried her face in the pillows. She could hear Erik but ignored him. She knew full well that she wasn't being entirely fair but neither was he. He had no right to keep her locked up here.

Suddenly she had an idea. She would prove to Erik that she could take care of herself and that he had nothing to worry about. Natalie walked up to the only mirror into the house, lifted her shirt, and checked her stomach. There was only a hint of swelling. Erik was so worried about her being attacked because she was pregnant, but no one would be able to tell. Not for another month or two at the very earliest. After making sure that Erik was still inside, Natalie crawled out the bedroom window and ran for the stable. She hopped onto Caesar and rode for town.

When Natalie stopped the horse, she realized there was no one really around; everyone was inside. All of a sudden, there was something sharp poking her back. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Craig. "Let's go for a walk," he hissed in her ear.

* * *

An hour was long enough. She won. Erik tried the knob but the door was still locked. He knocked gently and tried to talk to her. "Natalie? Natalie, I give up. You win. I don't want to keep fighting about this." Nothing. With a sigh of frustration, he grabbed the skeleton key that opened every door in the house and unlocked the door. To his horror, the room was empty and the window was open. Erik cursed her stubbornness; she had snuck out.

He ran out the door and saw Caesar pawing the ground nervously. The horse was in full tack and breathing as though he had just been on a long gallop and Erik instinctively knew something was wrong. Caesar whinnied nervously then nudged Erik towards town. He knew that Caesar was just as intelligent as any person, way too damn smart for a normal horse, so Erik trusted him. He swung up on Caesar's back and whispered, "Take me to her." The horse snorted then took off at a full gallop.


	13. Chapter 13

Craig watched her crumple to the ground with wicked glee. He nudged her with the tip of his boot, but Natalie remained still. There had been something exhilarating about the way she screamed, begged for mercy. It was a sensation he had never felt before, and he wanted more.

"Where's that bastard now?" he asked, examining the gold ring that he had ripped off her finger. "He's not here to protect you. No matter how much you cried for him to save you, he's not coming. Makes you wish you had a real man now doesn't it?" Craig dropped the wedding band next to her head. "Too bad you missed out."

Kneeling next to her, Craig pulled out the knife. One simple movement and he'd have his final revenge on her. He raised the weapon and prepared to strike. Before he could move, a hand grabbed his collar and dragged him away from Natalie.

The air was knocked out of him as Craig was thrown across the room by the masked man. "What did you do?" the man screamed. "What did you do to her you son of a bitch?"

Craig just laughed at his suffering. "She was a whore so I treated her like one." He could taste blood as he took a punch to the jaw, but Craig kept right on taunting him. "She's good. No wonder she got pregnant already." He smirked as Erik's eyes grew wide. "Oh yes, she told me. She seemed to think that would stop me." He brushed himself off calmly. "Where were you? She begged for you to rescue her, you know. 'Erik, help me!' 'Stop him Erik! He's hurting me!'"

With a roar of rage, Erik attacked him. Craig swung at him with the knife, but the masked man grabbed his wrist and snapped it with ease. He screamed in pain as the weapon crashed to the ground. The next thing Craig knew, he was pinned against the wall, Erik's hands tight around his neck. He clawed uselessly at him as he felt his throat being crushed.

Behind Erik, Craig could see Natalie move slightly. She looked like she was trying to push herself up, but collapsed with a moan. The other man half turned and his eyes filled with concern for her. Craig thought it was his chance to break free, but when he moved, the fingers around his throat grew even tighter.

"I should kill you," Erik snarled. "You deserve a fate worse than death for what you did to her." His grip grew tighter still with every word. "But that would make me no better than you. If you ever come near her again, if I ever see you again, if you ever even look at her again, I will rip you limb from limb with absolutely zero hesitation. Understand?"

Unable to speak, Craig nodded and was thrown to the floor. He laid on the ground, gasping for air as Natalie was scooped up by Erik and carried out the door. As soon as they were gone, Craig burst into cruel laughter again.

* * *

Henri grumbled the whole way to the door. It was too goddamn late for anyone to be visiting. One of the bad things about being a doctor was that you never knew when something was going to come up. This had better be an emergency. "I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered as the banging on the door continued. "What is...?" His jaw dropped in shock as he saw who was waiting for him. "It?" he finished weakly.

"Monsieur you are the doctor, yes?"

"Yes that would be me." He glanced first at the masked man then at the woman cradled in his arms. "What on earth happened?"

"Please Monsieur you have to help her."

One look into the man's desperate eyes and any hesitation Henri had vanished. "Bring her inside. I'll see what I can do to help her." He guided him into a back room where he often treated injuries, although they usually weren't this severe. "Monsieur what happened to her?" The man hesitated. "If I'm going to treat her properly, I need to know what I'm dealing with."

"A man…he attacked her. I…" He turned away. "I think he raped her," he whispered. "I got there too late. I couldn't stop him from hurting her." Tears in his eyes, he looked back up at Henri. "Please help her. She's pregnant. If anything happens to her or the baby..."

"I'll do everything I can. But Monsieur, I'm only human." Henri opened the door and gestured for the man to go into the parlor. "I need to examine her and treat what I can. Don't worry. She's in safe hands now." The man paused for a moment then slowly nodded and disappeared.

In his years as a doctor, Henri had seen some fairly nasty wounds, but the state of this girl made him sick to his stomach. She had been beaten horribly; he was fairly certain that most of her body was going to be very bruised. Like her companion had suspected, she most definitely had been raped. And her left hand was clenched in a fist so tightly, her knuckles were white.

Gently, he forced her fist open and found a golden wedding band with a single diamond. She had been so desperate to hang onto that ring that there were cuts in her palm from the stone and her fingernails. Suddenly it dawned on Henri why the man was so protective of her. Why he was so upset that this had happened to her. Why he had been begging much for his help. Henri placed the ring on a table to return to them.

"Erik?" He turned and saw the girl stirring. Her eyes opened slowly. When she realized she wasn't alone, she gasped and stared at him in fear. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"My name is Henri, I am a doctor. Your husband brought you here," he explained.

"Where is he? Where is Erik? Let me see him!"

"Please, calm down. He's just in the other room waiting. I'll go get him for you."

Henri found her husband pacing nervously just outside the door. The second he saw the doctor, he attacked with a million questions. "Is she awake? How is she? And the baby? Will she be okay?"

"Monsieur, she's awake. She's asking for you." The man tried to get in the room, only to be stopped. "You've got to understand, she's been through a very traumatic event, and she's going to be very upset and scared."

The man shoved him aside and ran to his wife. "Natalie?"

"Erik?" She burst into tears, so he pulled her into his arms and rocked her. "Erik, I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm sorry. I was just mad. You were right. I shouldn't have run off. This was all my fault."

"No, no this wasn't your fault. Don't say that."

"He had a knife. He said he was going to kill me."

"I've got you. He can't hurt you anymore. You're safe with me."

"I didn't think you would ever come. How did you find me?"

"Caesar came and got me. He brought me to you."

A ghost of a smile flashed across her face for a brief second. "I love that horse."

Her husband sighed. "I just wish I could have gotten there sooner. I could have stopped him. If I were there, he wouldn't have been able to hurt you." His tone was growing angry, at himself for not stopping the attack.

"The baby?" she asked suddenly, turning to Henri. "Is our baby okay?"

"Yes, because you're so early in the pregnancy, I have every reason to believe that you and your child will make a full recovery. But because of the trauma you've suffered, technically there still is the possibility of a miscarriage. You'll need plenty of rest and absolutely no stress." Henri motioned for the husband to talk with him in the other room. "Monsieur, if she was attacked, there is still the possibility of her being in danger."

He shook his head. "No there's not. He will never hurt her again. I made sure of that."

Henri wasn't sure he wanted to know what the man meant by that. "Well there's nothing more I can do for her. She's probably going to have nightmares for a while. You're going need to give her lots of patience and understanding."

"Of course." He returned to his wife and gently picked her up. "Thank you Monsieur."

"Wait!" Henri grabbed the wedding ring and pressed it into the woman's hand. "Here, you might want this."

"Thank you," she whispered. "You don't know how much this means to me."

After they left, Henri sank into an armchair. Despite what the husband said, Henri wasn't entirely convinced she was safe. Unless the attacker had been killed, there was the chance he'd come back.

Just then, there was another knock on the door. Henri opened the door and saw the town carpenter standing there. "Jean, what can I do for you?" he asked in surprise.

Jean gestured towards a boy standing behind him. "I know it's late, but Craig here hurt his wrist. Said he fell and landed on it. Normally I'd wait till morning, but it looks pretty bad."

"It just so happens I was up anyway. Come on in." It only took him about thirty seconds to diagnose the injury. "Well son it looks like you managed to break it." As he set the boy's wrist back into place, he caught a hint of black and blue around his neck. It looked like someone had tried to strangle him with bare hands. "How did you say you broke it?" he asked, keeping his voice casual.

"I fell," he replied. His voice was cold, clipped, and full of razors. The glint in his eyes was enough to send a shiver up Henri's spine.

"Well there you go. Just be more careful next time," he warned. The boy nodded and left with the carpenter.

Henri watched them leave out the window. Right before they vanished from view, the boy turned and locked eyes with Henri. Something about him screamed evil. He did not have a good feeling about him.

* * *

_Let the record show that this chapter is unlucky 13. Trust me, I hated writing this chapter. Every single second of it, but it's important. Sorry guys. I promise this is as bad as it gets though, only up from here! Other than that, let the onslaught of angry reviewers begin! _

_~nibblesfan_


	14. Chapter 14

Erik's eyes snapped open as he heard Natalie scream. Instinctively he pulled her to his chest to comfort her. "Shh, it's okay," he whispered. "It was just a dream. I'm right here."

"He killed you. You tried to stop him and he stabbed you. And it was all my fault."

Erik kissed her temple. "Well I'm not dead, so there's nothing for you to worry about. Besides, I wouldn't go down that easily, especially if you were in danger. You know that."

"But it was so real." Once again Natalie was crying in Erik's arms. "I wish it'd all just go away."

"It will," he promised. "But it'll take time. The doctor warned us this would happen. But things will get better. I swear."

"Erik it's been a month. I don't want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder. I don't want to do this anymore." She let out another sob. "I don't think I can."

His heart broke. The dark circles under her eyes proved that Natalie didn't sleep until she practically collapsed with exhaustion. And when she did sleep, it was full of nightmares. To Erik, the dark had always been a safe haven, but it was now Natalie's personal hell.

He placed a soft kiss on her lips before getting out of bed and heading into the kitchen. Erik had hoped he wouldn't have to resort to this, but Natalie needed it. After mixing a quick sleeping draught, Erik made some tea, which he poured the potion into. Walking back into the bedroom, he handed the cup to her. She brought it to her lips, but stopped. "No more dreams?"

Erik was surprised that Natalie had figured him out, but he didn't want to lie and deny it. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he shook his head. "Not tonight."

She nodded then drank deeply. "Thank you," she whispered as her eyelids grew heavy. He held her and sang her to sleep.

"_Would you dance  
If I asked you to dance?  
Would you run  
And never look back?  
Would you cry  
If you saw me crying?  
And would you save my soul, tonight?_

_I can be your hero, baby  
I can kiss away the pain  
I would stand by you forever  
You can take my breath away"_

For the rest of the night, Erik kept watch over her, like a guardian angel. When the sun rose, he had an idea. Natalie would sleep for a few more hours, so he tucked her in snugly, left a note for her if she somehow woke before he returned, and locked the door just in case.

* * *

Christine cuddled her son as she walked down to breakfast. "Morning," she said to her husband with a smile. Raoul kissed her cheek and took Gustav from her. He was a natural at being a father.

A maid knocked on the door. "Monsieur le Vicomte? A man is asking to see you."

Raoul frowned and glanced at Christine, both of them wondering who it could be. They weren't expecting anyone and it was awfully early for visitors. "Who is it?" he asked.

"I don't know. He wouldn't give his name."

"Oh," Christine whispered, realizing who was at the door. She looked at her husband whose eyes were wide.

Pushing the baby into her arms, Raoul stood. "What the hell does he want?"

"I'm sure it's nothing." She followed him to the door. "Raoul calm down." He tried to push past her, but Christine grabbed his hand. "At least be civil."

"Fine." He opened the door and the couple walked out onto the porch.

Christine saw Erik standing about ten feet from the house next to his black horse. He made no attempt to approach them, and Raoul seemed perfectly content stay where he was. The Phantom simply looked at them. "I was wondering if perhaps you could do me a favor."

Raoul's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but Christine kept her voice light. "It depends. What do you need?"

* * *

Natalie closed her eyes and gave into the lull of Erik's voice. The two were stretched out on the sofa, her head resting on his shoulder. He was humming her ear, nothing really in particular, just one melody after another after another.

Suddenly his song stopped, and Erik stood. He walked over to the piano, picked up his mask, and slipped it on his face. Natalie sat up and looked up with him in concern. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine."

A knock on the door rang out. Natalie couldn't help but feel a surge of panic. She turned to her husband. "Erik?"

He pulled her in for a quick kiss. "I promise you, it's okay."

She could feel her heart pounding as he left. Natalie knew she was safe as long as Erik was with her, but the fear was still there. Footsteps approached the room, but Natalie could tell instantly they didn't belong to him. Backing away, she tried to decide between running and fighting. Despite what Erik had said, she didn't think everything was okay. The door swung open, and Natalie nearly laughed in relief. "Christine? Raoul? What are you doing here?"

"Compromise," Erik answered, appearing behind them. He walked up to Natalie and brushed his fingers across her cheek. "I was wrong to try and keep you trapped here with just me," he whispered. "This way you're out of danger, and you can see your friends."

Natalie was touched. "Thank you." He smiled then disappeared into the back room. It was his new project to convert it into a nursery for the baby. Just because he brought Raoul and Christine here for her sake didn't mean he wanted to be around them.

Raoul took her hands in his and looked at bruises on her arms. Most had faded away, but the worst were still a sickly yellow color. "What happened?" he asked.

"Erik didn't tell you?"

Christine shook her head. "He just said you had been hurt."

"Did he do this to you?"

Natalie's jaw dropped, but made sure to keep her voice down so that Erik wouldn't hear. "Raoul, how could you think Erik would do this? He would never _ever_ hurt me!"

He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I just asked. We all know he has a temper. If he lost control…"

She shook her head. "No. He would never."

"Well then what happened?" Christine asked.

Natalie sighed heavily. "Let's go outside."


	15. Chapter 15

Natalie's friends stared at her in horror as she finished her story. She was fighting back tears which threatened to spill over at any moment. Raoul reached for her, but held back, unsure whether it would help or hurt, so Christine hugged her tightly. "Oh Natalie, I'm so sorry."

"Is there anything we can do?" Raoul asked.

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "No. I just need time. But I'm safe here with Erik. As long as I'm with him, no one can hurt me. He won't let anyone touch me again. You guys don't have to worry about me."

"But are you going to be alright? I mean, with the baby and all?" Christine pressed.

"The doc says I'm going to be fine, nothing permanent, well physically anyway. And he says as long as I'm careful, there's not going to be a problem with my pregnancy." Natalie placed a hand on the small but noticeable bump that was growing with a soft smile. "As you can see, everything's going along perfectly baby-wise. Speaking of, where's yours?"

"Gustav's at home. We didn't think he was quite ready for the trip," Raoul explained. Natalie and Christine just exchanged at look. That wasn't quite the truth, and they all knew it.

"Raoul, I know you and Erik don't get along, and I get why. But maybe you could give him a second chance? He's changed. I swear he has. He's not the same man that lived under the opera."

"No he's the man who destroyed the opera," he replied sarcastically.

Christine slapped his arm. "Raoul!"

Natalie pulled out her best puppy-dog face. "Please? For me?"

His face softened. "Well…"

"Well what?" a new voice asked. Natalie turned and saw Erik coming up behind her. She was surprised he had come out; she had expected him to stay locked away working on the new nursery to avoid them. "Did I miss something?"

The two women shared another glance. "Yes, actually," Christine answered. "Raoul has agreed to forgive and forget the past. Turn over a new leaf. No hard feelings."

Erik raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"I'm not saying you two have to be best friends," Natalie added. "You don't even have to like each other. You just have to play nice."

There was a tense moment before Erik stepped forward and outstretched his hand. Everyone stared at him in surprise. After a brief hesitation, Raoul took it, and the two shook. "See that wasn't so hard. Now we're all like peas and carrots!"

"What on earth does that mean?" the Vicomte asked as the other two stared at Natalie in confusion.

Before she answered, thunder rumbled in the distance. "You two better get out of here. Don't want to get caught in the rain do you?" She hugged her friends then shooed them away. "Bye!" Natalie shouted as they climbed into their carriage and waved as they drove off.

As the first drops of rain began to fall, Erik wrapped his arm around her waist and led her inside. "So, peas and carrots?"

"It's from _Forrest Gump_!" she replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What's a Forrest Gump?

She giggled at his puzzled expression. "It's…" Natalie paused, realizing no matter how she explained it, Erik wouldn't be able to understand. "You know what? Never mind."

* * *

As deafening clap of thunder rang out, Erik decided he ought to go check on Natalie. Walking out of the nursery, he called her name. When she didn't answer, he tore through the house looking for her, but he was the only one inside. Glancing out the window, Erik could see a figure out in the pouring rain. He ran outside and found his wife spinning in circles. "What on earth are you doing?" he shouted.

"I'm singing in the rain!"

"What?"

Natalie grabbed his hands and spun him around.

"_I'm singing in the rain  
Just singing in the rain  
What a glorious feelin'  
I'm happy again  
I'm laughing at clouds  
So dark up above  
The sun's in my heart  
And I'm ready for love  
Let the stormy clouds chase  
Everyone from the place  
Come on with the rain  
I've a smile on my face  
I walk down the lane  
With a happy refrain  
Just singin',  
Singin' in the rain_"

Erik couldn't help but laugh. It was like having the old Natalie back. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her bubbly self. As she danced with him, Erik couldn't help but have an overwhelming urge to kiss her.

Taking her in his arms, he tilted her head up so their lips met. Natalie immediately returned it with enthusiasm. In the pouring rain, the fire of passion that had disappeared after Natalie's attack was rekindled. "I missed that," Natalie whispered when they broke apart. "I don't want to be scared of him anymore."

"Then don't be. "

* * *

Erik must have said the right thing. In the next few months, Natalie's nightmares were far less frequent than they used to be, and she was almost back to normal. She laughed more and cried less. One day he actually heard her singing.

"_Days like this I want to drive away  
Pack my bags and watch your shadow fade  
You chewed me up and spit me out  
Like I was poison in your mouth  
You took my light, you drained me down  
That was then and this is now  
Now look at me_

_This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no  
Throw your sticks and stones__  
__Throw your bombs and your blows  
But you're not gonna break my soul  
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no__  
__  
Now look at me, I'm sparkling  
A firework, a dancing flame  
You won't ever put me out again  
I'm glowing, oh woah oh  
So you can keep the diamond ring  
I never liked them anyway  
__In fact you can keep everything  
Yeah, yeah  
Except for me_"

"Erik, Erik, Erik!" she shouted, bounding into nearly complete nursery.

He looked up in alarm. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Natalie was beaming. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong! Everything's absafabutastic!"

"What?"

"Absolutely fabulous and fantastic."

"What's so great?" Natalie grabbed his hand and placed it on her stomach. For a moment, he stared at her in confusion, then he felt it. Just the tiniest sensation but it was there. His eyes grew wide. "Was that the baby?"

"YES!" she squealed. "Only a few more months!" Erik grinned and pulled her in for a kiss.


	16. Chapter 16

Craig couldn't get it out of his head. He had been _so_ close. Now he hadn't seen her in months. Occasionally he had caught a flash of the masked man, but Natalie was never here anymore. Big shock there. It wouldn't be surprising to him at all if she had locked herself away, never to see the light of day again.

He wondered what she was up to. Probably hiding in fear from him. It was probably getting time for her baby to be due as well. If he hadn't been so slow, there would be no baby and there would be no more Natalie either.

Ever since that day, ever since he had held her life in his hands, Craig had an almost overwhelming urge to hunt her down and destroy her. The only thing that was holding him back was the man in the mask. Erik had proven that Craig was no match for him in a fight. He needed a way to take out Natalie's protector before he could get to her.

Then Craig remembered a gun that Jean kept "just in case". As far as he could tell, that was standard practice around here. Almost immediately, he was tearing through the house for it. Jean was out for a few hours. He would never know.

Pulling the gun out of the drawer where it was hidden, Craig ran for the horses. He was going to finish what he started or he was going to die trying.

* * *

Jean walked into his workshop on a hunt for his tool kit. His friend Henri had asked him to drop by and help him fix a leg on a table. When he found it, he noticed something was off. The drawer where he kept his pistol had been rummaged through and the gun was missing.

"Craig?" he called. "Craig where are you?" There wasn't a sign of the boy anywhere and Jean soon discovered one of his horses was also gone. "What kind of trouble is he getting into?"

He sprinted back to Henri's. Even if he couldn't help him find Craig, Henri was a doctor and would probably appreciate a heads up if anything stupid involving a gun happened. "Jean what is it?" Henri asked when he saw the carpenter's worried face.

"Craig ran off. He took my gun and my horse and I don't know where he went," Jean explained. "I don't know if he's going to hurt himself or do something rash or what."

"Do you think he'd be capable of hurting someone else?" Henri asked quietly.

"What do you mean?"

The doctor hesitated for a brief moment. "The night he broke his wrist, I had treated a woman beforehand. She had been attacked by a man. Her husband said he had taken care of the attacker. When Craig was here, I noticed bruises around his neck. Do you think…?"

Jean's eyes grew wide. "It was the masked man that brought her in wasn't it?"

Henri stared at him in disbelief. "How did you know?"

"Craig's had an obsession with them ever since he arrived in town. I kept telling him to leave them alone, but I've seen him harassing the girl a few times. Nothing that serious, although I suppose he could've..." Jean looked at his friend seriously. "Do you think that's where he's heading?"

"Yes I do. They may be in danger. From what it sounds like, Craig may be having some sort of mental breakdown or is just a psychopath. Either way, now that he's armed, he is a very dangerous individual. If that's where he's going, we can attempt to stop him or at the very least, warn them."

Henri ran inside and emerged a few moments later with his doctor's bag and a hunting rifle. "What on earth is that for?" Jean cried.

His friend looked at him gravely. "If things get drastic, we need to be prepared for the worst. If Craig is really suffering from delusions or a psychotic break or whatever, there's no telling what he'll do. It is extremely possible that he could turn on us if we get in his way. I do not want to have to use it, but if we have to…"

* * *

"AH-HA!" Natalie shouted, pulling open the door to the nursery. She frowned when she saw that the room was empty. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and she squealed in delight as Erik pulled her to his chest. "You know," she said, turning to face him, her hands on her hips. "For someone who lived under a theater undiscovered for years, you suck at hide-and-go-seek. I'm supposed to find _you_, not the other way around."

Erik laughed. "I'm found when and only when I want to be found."

"Oh yeah? I bet I can hide from you so you can't find me."

"Is that a challenge?" he asked with a smirk.

"Rule one: we both stay on our property. Rule two: I get a two minute head start. If you can't find me after half an hour, I win. You find me before then, you win. Got it?" Erik rolled his eyes then nodded. "Alright, close your eyes and no peeking. You can't move or open your eyes till after my two minutes are up."

After Erik had closed his eyes, Natalie took off running. Within a few moments, she was standing outside the stable. She contemplated climbing up onto the roof, but decided that wasn't a good idea, seeing as she was eight months pregnant. Instead she ran around to the back to think strategy.

She froze when she heard footsteps behind her. "Hey, that was not two minutes you cheater!" Turning, Natalie saw that it wasn't Erik. Her eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to scream.

Before she could make a sound, Craig pressed the muzzle of a gun to her stomach. "You shout or scream or cry out, and I will pull the trigger so fast you'll lose that baby before the sound of your voice reaches him."

"I'm not afraid of you," she snapped, trying not to get hysterical.

Craig just laughed in her face. "Oh Natalie, you don't have to put on a brave face. I can see it in your eyes." He ran his fingers down her jawline teasingly as she tried to twist away. "You're absolutely terrified."

"Please, I'll do whatever you want. You can have anything you want. Just don't hurt my baby," she begged. "Please."

He looked at her like she was stupid. "Why else would I be here?" He pulled the hammer back on the gun and placed his finger on the trigger. "Any last words?"

Natalie thought fast. Her usual hiding place was the stables. There was a good chance Erik would come here first. She just needed to keep Craig distracted until her husband got here. Erik would save her, but she needed to buy some time. "You spineless son of a bitch. You're too scared to face Erik. You know you can't take him so you sneak up instead of facing him like a man."

"It's called self-preservation sweetheart."

"You're weak. You're a coward. You're a pathetic waste of space!"

Craig just chuckled. "You done yet?"

"Whatever sick satisfaction you get out of this, I hope you enjoy it because Erik is going to tear you apart. I hope it's worth it to you," she spat.

"Oh don't worry; I've got a couple more bullets here with his name on them. I wonder how much of a fight he'll put up after I take away everything he has ever loved."

Natalie could feel her heart pounding as she watched him squeeze the trigger and screamed as the gun went off.


	17. Chapter 17

Natalie wasn't quite sure what happened. There was absolutely no pain. She opened her eyes realized she hadn't been shot. The bullet was buried deep in the wall less than an inch from her, and Erik and Craig were rolling across the ground, fighting for the gun. Her husband had saved her once again.

She cried out in fear as the gun went off again. There was no way she could tell who had pulled the trigger or where the bullet had hit, but the struggle just intensified. Natalie knew if Erik got the weapon, then Craig was dead, but she was afraid what would happen if Craig managed to keep his hands on it.

Erik shouted for her to run, but Natalie was frozen in place. If he lost the fight, she didn't want to live without her husband, baby or not, and Craig would catch her and kill her anyway.

Craig twisted away long enough to point the pistol back at her, but Erik grabbed him and pulled him backwards, causing the third bullet to miss her again. She shrieked as it landed next to her face, flinching as splinters flew from the hole in the wooden wall.

After that Natalie couldn't keep track of the fight until the gun landed in the grass in front of her. She reached for it, but Craig got to it first. Erik sprang up and shoved Natalie behind him, shielding her from the weapon. "If either of you move, I will shoot!" Craig screamed. "Don't test me!"

"Please! You don't have to do this!" Natalie pleaded.

"You had your chance. Now you're paying the price." He stared at Erik's unmasked face. "What the hell are you? You're not even human. No wonder she married you. You two are a perfect fit for each other: the monster and the whore. With a face like that, no real woman would be able to look at you."

Erik growled in anger and took a step forward, murder in his eyes. For a brief instance, there was a flicker of fear in Craig's eyes, but he never wavered. When he kept the gun pointed straight at Erik's chest and started to pull the trigger, Natalie grabbed her husband's hand. This was it. They were going to die. She closed her eyes as a gunshot rang out.

* * *

Behind him, Erik heard Natalie whimper and felt her bury her face in his back as a gun went off. Craig's pistol hit the ground, and he saw the carpenter lowering a rifle, the doctor was right behind him. Where had they come from? The three men exchanged glances of shock.

Natalie peeked over his shoulder cautiously. "What happened?"

"He's gone," the carpenter said, his eyes wide. They all stared at the spot where Craig had just stood. "He just vanished."

"Can't be," the doctor replied. "People don't just disappear. It's not possible."

"He went back…well, forward. He went back to where we came from, which is about 200 years from now," she whispered in Erik's ear. "He's gone. He can't hurt us anymore. We'll never see him again."

Erik pulled Natalie to his chest protectively. "Are you alright?" he asked, more concerned about her than where he went. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head. "You saved my life. If you hadn't gotten there when you did, the baby ad I would probably be dead." Natalie was trembling in his arms. "I was so scared you wouldn't find me. I was scared he was going to hurt the baby."

"I know, I know. But I told you, I will always find you. Besides, he's gone. You just said so yourself, he can't hurt us."

All of a sudden she pulled away, her eyes wide. Erik saw her hands were wet, sticky, and red. "Oh my God, Erik he shot you! You're hurt!"

A stinging he felt in his side from the fight suddenly made sense. Natalie was growing hysterical so Erik gently lifted her head, making her look him in the eyes. "Natalie, I'm fine. It barely grazed me. Honestly, I can barely feel it."

Obviously Natalie didn't believe him. She turned to the men behind them. "He's hurt. You've got to help him. Please!"

The doctor ran up but paused when he reached Erik. "May I?" he asked, gesturing towards his injury. Apparently he could tell that Erik didn't allow people to touch him without permission. Erik nodded, knowing it was the only way to keep Natalie calm.

As the doctor examined the wound, he kept sneaking surreptitious glances up at him. At first he was confused until he recognized the facial expression of the carpenter. It was a mixture of disbelief, slight revulsion, curiosity, and human nature's fascination with freaks. Erik felt extremely self-conscious as he realized his mask was still inside.

"Well Monsieur, it's definitely not life-threatening. However, I do want to stitch it up so that it heals properly."

"Fine."

A few minutes later, he found himself sitting on the kitchen table as his side was sewn shut. Even though he had put his mask on, Erik still felt horribly exposed. Because the doctor refused to let him wear a shirt, insisting it would interfere, all of the scars from his childhood were visible. Thankfully both men were trying hard not to stare.

"Monsieur," the doctor began. "If you don't mind my asking…"

"They're old," Erik replied. That was the only explanation they were going to get out of him.

"Yes, I can see that. I was wondering just how exactly you got them."

"I mind your asking," he snapped.

The doctor just nodded. "My apologies." Several moments later he stepped away from Erik. "There you go. It'll take a few weeks for that cut to heal. Until then, do not put any strain on those stitches. If anything seems strange about it, I want you to let me know right away in case it's infected. Just because the bullet didn't kill you, doesn't mean an infection wouldn't."

Natalie handed Erik a clean shirt which he slipped on gratefully. "Don't worry," she told the doctor. "I'll take care of him. If there's any problem, I'll make sure he sees you first thing even if I have to drag his ass down to you."

Erik rolled his eyes. "I'm not scared of you," he teased before facing to the carpenter. "You saved our lives. If anything had happened to Natalie…well, I don't know what I would have done. We are both in your debt. Yours as well," he added, acknowledging the doctor.

"You don't owe me anything," the carpenter protested. "It was Henri who figured out that this is where Craig was heading. It was his idea to bring an extra gun. If I had known just what he really was…"

"There was nothing you could have done," Natalie argued. "He was mad at me and wanted to get revenge. You didn't change anything about that. You did enough just by helping us."

"Why you though?" he asked. "Why was he so fixated on you?"

Natalie sighed. "He wanted me and when I said he couldn't have me, he didn't take it well. He got mad and apparently thought killing me was the best way to get over it."

"For someone like Craig, rejection, especially from a woman, could absolutely cause him to snap," the doctor pointed out.

"Well now this is the second time you've saved my life because of him. I owe everything to you," she said.

The doctor shook his head. "No you don't. I was just doing my job."

Suddenly Natalie's eyes went wide. She grabbed the edge of the table and braced herself against it for support to stay on her feet. Erik immediately was afraid she was going to collapse and have another seizure. "Well, I suppose it's convenient, seeing as the doctor's already here," she muttered.

"What's wrong?" Erik asked, wrapping his arms around her to keep her upright. Natalie's face was flushed and beads of sweat were starting to gather on her forehead.

She reached up and brushed her fingers against his the good side of his face. "Are you ready to be a daddy Erik? Because I think the baby is coming."

* * *

_Did you think after everything they've been through that I was really going to kill Natalie and the baby? And I bet you just LOVE all the cliffhangers I've used/have lined up *Insert evil laughter here* Anyway, speaking of the baby, if you guys have any suggestions for baby names, please share, because there's only a handful of names I'd even consider using and maybe you guys could help me come up with something better. However I'm not going to tell you what the baby is until Natalie and Erik know so I'll take names for both. After all, what fun would it be if you knew before they did? Read and Review (and submit names)!_

_~nibblesfan_


	18. Chapter 18

Natalie could feel what she thought was the beginning of contractions. But even if the baby was coming, she knew she could potentially be in labor for several hours. What's wrong?" She could hear the alarm in Erik's voice.

"Are you ready to be a daddy Erik? Because I think the baby is coming."

"_What?!_ But…but the baby isn't…the baby isn't supposed to come for another month!" Erik sputtered. He turned to the doctor. "Is there anything you can do? Anything to help her?"

He shrugged. "I can help her deliver the baby, but that's about it."

"But she isn't due for another month!"

"S_he_ is right here!" Natalie interrupted. "And you need to quit panicking. Because if you keep panicking and I'm going to start panicking!" Her voice was growing hysterical.

"Both of you take a deep breath and calm down!" Henri ordered. "It's not unusual for a baby to come a little early and seeing the stress you had, it's not surprising. But losing your heads isn't going to do a bit of good."

Natalie cried out and wrapped her arms around her stomach as she felt a particularly strong contraction. Erik scooped her up and rushed her into the bedroom, the couple closely followed by the doctor. "I told you not to put any strain on the stitches!"

Placing Natalie gently on the bed, Erik whirled around to face him. "Well you can fix them if you need to after you help her!" he snapped before kneeling next to her and caressing her cheek. "Do you need anything? Are you comfortable? Is there anything I can do?"

She put her hand over his and winced with another contraction. "I'm fine. But…"

"But what?"

"Erik, don't take this the wrong way, but get out. Please. I don't need an over-protective husband bearing over me. There's nothing you can do. I have a feeling this would hurt you more than it's going to hurt me. And Henri doesn't need you losing your temper with him. I know you mean well, but you're just going to cause chaos in here."

"I'll take care of her," Henri said reassuringly. "You don't have to worry."

He glanced up at the doctor. "I know I shouldn't have to worry, but after all that's happened to her, wouldn't you be?" Erik looked back to Natalie. "Are you sure?"

"I'll be okay." She squeezed his hand gently. "I promise." After kissing her forehead, he stood to go. "Erik I love you," she called as he walked out of the room.

"I love you too," he replied, a soft smile flashing across his face before he closed the door.

Henri watched the door for a moment. "High maintenance?"

Natalie closed her eyes and clenched her jaw from the pain. "You have no idea."

* * *

Erik stared at the wooden door. He could hear Natalie's cries and the doctor's reassuring voice from the other side. It took all of his willpower to stay where he was and not run back to her. Every instinct in his body was screaming for him to break down the door.

"Get kicked out?" Erik saw the carpenter still sitting in the same spot that they had left him in. "Don't worry. She's in safe hands. Henri won't let anything happen to her."

He sighed. "Everyone keeps saying that."

The man smiled. "Well obviously you're still worrying. But seeing as you're a first time father, it's understandable." Erik's attention snapped back to the bedroom when he heard Natalie cry out again. When he stepped towards the room, the carpenter grabbed his arm. "You're not going to do anything but get in the way."

"I can't just stand here and listen to this!"

"Then let's go outside." Erik considered it, but he wanted to stay near Natalie. "If something were to go wrong, Henri would get you right away," he added, sensing Erik's hesitation.

Another cry rang out. The grip on Erik's arm tightened. He knew he could easily break away and get to his wife. The carpenter stood no chance against him. On the other hand, he knew there really wasn't anything he could do to end Natalie's pain. "Alright you win."

* * *

Natalie collapsed against the pillows. She was utterly exhausted and glad it was all over. Henri handed her the bundle, which she cradled lovingly. "Absolutely no complications," he was saying. "You did fantastic. How are you feeling?"

"I'm tired and sore."

He chuckled. "Of course you are. I meant besides that."

"I can't feel anything but tired and sore."

"That's normal. Well I don't think there's any more I can do. I'll go get your husband for you."

"Wait Henri. Don't tell Erik about...," she paused, looking at the blankets in her arms, searching for the right word. "Our unexpected surprise."

The doctor looked at her in disbelief. "You don't want me to tell him about this?!"

"Please don't. I want him to see this for himself."

"You're crazy."

"You aren't the first person to say that and you certainly won't be the last," she replied.

"Fine," Henri replied with a sigh. "I won't tell him. But this is on you."

* * *

Erik paced as the sun sank over the hills. The wait was killing him. After three hours, there still had been no word from the doctor. He punched the wall in frustration. "Hey, what are you getting all worked up about?" Jean asked. "No news is good news."

"Do you have children?"

"Two daughters. They're both married with children of their own."

"Well then you ought to know exactly how I'm feeling!" Erik snapped.

"I do, which is why I'm telling you to calm down!" he replied. "Throwing a fit isn't going to change anything."

"I feel so helpless! I should be in there with her. What if she needs me?"

"If she did, then Henri would…" his voice trailed off as both men saw the doctor approaching.

Before Erik could get a word out of his mouth, Henri held up a hand to silence him. "Your wife is fine. Everything went smoothly. Everyone's perfectly healthy. Congratulations Monsieur."

He took off running through the house. When he reached the bedroom, he grabbed the doorknob and almost flew into the room, but he paused. Although he had never been a father before, Erik had always heard it was traditional for the doctor to say 'it's a beautiful baby whatever'. Henri hadn't said anything even remotely along those lines. Erik's hand flew to his mask. Had he passed on his curse?

Cautiously he opened the door and saw Natalie waiting for him. With a gasp, Erik's eyes grew wide.


	19. Chapter 19

Craig stared at the white wall, tugging on the handcuffs that kept him chained to the table in frustration. After what seemed like forever, the door opened and a man in a suit walked in. "I'm Detective Ginelle."

"Good for you," Craig muttered. He glared at the new arrival. "Are you going to tell me what the hell I'm even doing in here? What've I done wrong?"

The detective sat across from him and folded his hands. "Where would you like me to begin? Two weeks ago you crashed your car into an oncoming truck. We tested your blood-alcohol level and it was over twice the legal limit."

"Alright so I got a little buzzed. So what?" He yanked on the cuffs again. "It hardly requires being locked in an interrogation room with some hotshot detective!"

"I wasn't finished!" Ginelle snapped back. "The other driver was killed in that crash. So far, you've been charged with DUI and manslaughter."

"You mean I'm going to go to jail?"

Ginelle nodded. "Technically there'll be legal proceedings and possibly a trial, but yes, you will most likely go to jail."

"Well if you're so confident I'm going to jail," Craig's voice rose to a shout. "What the hell am I doing in here?!"

"I'm not here to talk to you about that. I have a few questions to ask you about your girlfriend Natalie."

"She's not my girlfriend," he muttered sullenly. "She's a whore that's not worth my time."

The detective raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "Either way she's gone missing and you're not looking too innocent."

Craig's eyes narrowed. "Are you accusing me of something?"

"You're here aren't you?"

"I haven't done anything wrong!"

"If that's the case, then perhaps you could explain a few things to me," the detective said, never once losing his cool. "We have several witnesses placing you two at a bar the night she went missing. They said it appeared you were fighting then stormed out."

He shrugged. "Yeah so? I dumped the bitch."

"According to our sources, it looked like the other way around. I bet that made you angry."

His jaw clenched. "Is this going anywhere?"

"You drag her out to your car, you drive away, and then what? Did you beat her? Cut her? Teach her a lesson? Enlighten me." Ginelle leaned forward eagerly.

"You can't prove anything!" Craig argued. "I didn't touch her!"

"Her blood was all over your car! How did that happen?"

"She was in the crash. I was giving her a ride home."

"Right," the detective said with an eye roll. "And then she just magically disappeared. Only two people were pulled from the wreckage. You and the driver you killed."

"I want a lawyer," he snapped suddenly.

The detective sighed. "Fine. But until you cut the bull and are honest with me, you're heading towards a heap of trouble."

As Ginelle walked back out, Craig jerked on the handcuffs once more in an attempt to escape, because he knew that there would be no way he could explain what really had happened.

* * *

"Erik!" Natalie cried as he fell to his knees. But Erik couldn't tell her he was okay; he was too busy laughing with relief.

"Did you know?" he asked when he was finally able to get himself under control. "Did you have any idea?"

"Don't you think I would have mentioned it if I knew?" she replied with a smile. "I think we're going to need a bigger house."

"Twins," he breathed then reached out to take one of the bundles from Natalie, but stopped. She motioned for him to go ahead, so he cradled his newborn daughter gently. "They're so perfect," he whispered. "I thought…I thought when the doctor wouldn't tell me anything that they had gotten their father's face."

"And what's wrong with that?" Natalie smirked. "I rather like their father. I should introduce you to him sometime."

"Ha-ha very funny." Erik studied his wife's tired face. "I bet he's wondering how you're doing."

"I'm fine. Henri said there wasn't any way that things could have gone better. Although I would've paid a fortune to have seen my face when he told me that there were two. I think little Celine there gave me a heart attack."

"Celine? You named them without me?" Erik asked, pretending to be insulted.

"You can name a baby when you give birth," she retorted. "It's not very easy."

"It didn't sound like it was." Erik looked at the angel in his arms. "So Celine huh? It's a beautiful name to match such a beautiful girl. And who do you have?"

"This is Christian. Don't look at me like that," she added seeing Erik's face. "I've always wanted a boy with that name. I'll be damned if your past relationship problems change that."

"You've always wanted…?"

"I have yet to meet a girl who doesn't have a secret list of potential baby names whether they actually want kids or not." Natalie smiled. "I think mine started when I was seven or eight. It's just something that girls do. Just like they plan out their whole lives with totally unrealistic expectations."

"Did you plan on marrying the Phantom of the Opera and having twins with him?" Erik teased.

Natalie thought back to the days before she had met Erik and the countless hours she had spent drooling over many different Phantom actors. "Not exactly," she replied. It wasn't a total lie, she hadn't expected on marrying any of the fake ones let alone the original. "When I was six, my plan was to marry Prince Charming and he was going to have blonde hair and blue eyes and live in a castle straight out of a fairytale."

"I think you missed the mark on that one."

"Really? I thought I was rather close." With her free hand, Natalie tugged away Erik's mask and placed her hand on his cheek. "I think you're pretty darn charming and prince is just a title. I live in a beautiful house in the countryside where I feel like I get waited on hand and foot. That's close enough to a castle for me. And hair and eye color are irrelevant. Besides I've developed a thing for green eyes."

* * *

_Damn most of you figured me out. *pouts* You were all supposed to think that the baby had Erik's face but I guess you're a lot smarter than I thought you were. Either that, or I'm just not very sneaky. I'm going to go with you're all mind readers. Thanks to Kainen-no-Kitsune and PhantomFan01 for helping me come up with the names of the twins. Read and Review!_

_~nibblesfan_


	20. Chapter 20

Natalie spun around the room, two month old Christian cradled securely against her chest. Celine was asleep in her crib, but he was still fussing so she began to sing a lullaby to try and to get him to sleep.

"_We are the lucky ones  
We shine like a thousand suns  
When all of the color runs together_

_I'll keep you company_  
_In one glorious harmony_  
_Waltzing with destiny forever_

_Dance me into the night_  
_Underneath the moon shining so bright_  
_Turning me into the light_

_Time dances whirling past_  
_I gaze through the looking glass_  
_And feel just beyond my grasp is heaven_

_Sacred geometry_  
_Where movement is poetry_  
_Visions of you and me forever_

_Dance me into the night_  
_Underneath the moon shining so bright_  
_Turning me into the light_

_Dance me into the night_  
_Underneath the moon shining so bright_  
_Let the dark waltz begin_  
_Oh let me wheel let me spin_  
_Let it take me again_  
_Turning me into the light"_

As she finished the song, she looked up and saw Erik smiling at her from the doorway. With a free hand, she brought a finger to her lips to keep him quiet, because the baby was finally drifting off.

When Natalie was convinced he was asleep, she placed Christian in his crib then walked into Erik's arms. He kissed her gently at first, but grew more passionate. "If you wake them, I will kill you," she whispered in his ear.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, Erik pulled her out of the nursery. Natalie pressed her lips to his again as he closed the door. The second it clicked shut, one of the twins began to cry. She broke their embrace, shot a pretend glare at Erik, and then retrieved Celine before she could wake her brother.

Erik held out his arms. "I can take her if you want."

"It's okay, I've got her," Natalie replied. "She's just needs to go back to sleep." After a few minutes, she finally sighed and passed the still fussing Celine to him. "Fine, you win. But I doubt it'll do any..." Her voice trailed away as her daughter's eyes immediately closed and she snuggled closer to her father.

"You were saying?" Erik asked, flashing Natalie a smug look.

"Man, you are in trouble!" Natalie replied in a sing-song voice, a wicked grin on her face. "You are falling for the absolute oldest trick in the book: 'Daddy's little Princess'. She's gonna have you wrapped around her finger before she can even walk and talk. All she'll ever have to do is look up at you with big eyes and say '_Daddy?_' and you'll wind up fetching the moon and stars for her."

"If that's the case, then she definitely takes after her mother."

"I think I'm insulted by that."

"Why?" He leaned in to kiss her. "It was a compliment. You're worth it."

"You're just saying that. You have to keep me happy. I mean, looking at your track record with women, you can't afford to lose me," she teased. "If you did, you'd never be able to replace me."

He pouted like a little kid. "Now I'm insulted." Natalie stuck her tongue out at him, making him laugh. Erik looked down at the baby in his arms. "We probably ought to get Celine back in bed before we wind up waking her."

"Before _you_ wake her," Natalie countered, poking him. "_Again_. Speaking of bed, that's where I'm going. I'm exhausted."

After Erik put Celine back down, he walked into the bedroom and saw Natalie curled up on the bed. He pulled her to his chest and kissed her neck playfully. "Hey, I will kick you out," she said, half joking, half serious. "Unlike you, I actually need my beauty rest. Those two won't sleep more than a few hours, and do you know who's going to have to get up and take care of them?"

"You're beautiful no matter what."

"That's because I get my beauty sleep!" She closed her eyes and moaned softly with pleasure as he kissed her deeply. "If I'm cranky in the morning, it'll be all your fault."

Erik just smiled. "I've told you before, I'm not afraid of you."

* * *

Nearly a hundred and thirty years into the future, an auburn haired boy sat in the courtroom waiting for the decision that would affect the rest of his life. "I didn't kill her!" he whispered to his lawyer. "I didn't. They don't have any proof! There's no body, no evidence, no nothing!"

His lawyer shushed him as the jury returned to the courtroom. They waited in silence for the verdict. "We the jury find the defendant…" Craig held his breath. "Guilty of second degree murder."

* * *

_Awwwww you guys got a happy ending. Do you know how rare that is for me? I usually prefer cliffhangers cause I'm a meaner. Out of curiousity, seeing as I don't want to end Natalie's adventures quite yet, would anyone be interested in a threequel? It'd be slightly different, but it'd have all the characters you know and love. It'd have Erik and Natalie and the twins and lots of fun and chaos that you've come to expect from these two. And I might write it whether you people want it or not anyway just cause I can. If you want, it'll most likely have Lost in the title cause I don't wanna break pattern. No guantees though. Anywhoo, Read and Review and thanks for sticking with me for this long!_

_~nibblesfan_


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